Scottish Labour promise biggest housebuilding revolution ahead of elections

Scottish Labour has pledged to build 125,000 new homes over the next Parliament.

Party leader Anas Sarwar claimed Scotland’s housing emergency is “a moral imperative and an economic one” and set out a package of reforms for housebuilding ahead of the Scottish elections in May.

The news comes as the Scottish Conservatives have pledged to reverse rent controls and build 80,000 affordable homes.

Biggest housebuilding revolution

Mr Sarwar told a conference: “Scotland has a housing emergency, and after nearly two decades of SNP failure, it is holding our country back.

“It means young people cannot afford a home of their own. It means rising rents. It means weaker growth. And it has led to the shame of more than 10,000 children with nowhere to call home.

“When we challenged John Swinney on this crisis, he told us to find something else to moan about. That is the voice of a government that has been in office too long, complacent, defensive and out of touch.

“So I am not going to moan about it. I am going to fix it.

“As First Minister, I will lead the biggest housebuilding revolution in the history of devolution. A Scottish Labour government will build 125,000 new homes over the next Parliament, across all tenures, social homes, homes for rent and homes to buy.”

End rough sleeping

Mr Sarwar added: “We will change how Scotland finances and delivers housing for good, with a new Housing Investment Bank to support long-term building, a £1 homes scheme to bring derelict properties back into use, and Housing Development Trusts with the power to deliver homes in every region.

“This is how we lift people out of poverty, create jobs, grow the economy, and give more families the chance to own a home.”

Scottish Labour have also pledged to end rough sleeping and prioritise construction skills by creating 9,000 new apprenticeships, which they say will help train the workforce needed to deliver homes at pace and scale.