With a number of housing announcements made by politicians over the last couple of days, trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) welcomed the shift in focus but cautioned that the only real way to tackle the housing crisis engulfing the whole of the UK is to build significantly more homes of all tenures.

Chief Executive Philip Hogg (right) said:

“We are pleased to see housing being a high profile issue in the general election with acknowledgement by the different parties that action is required.

“Whether you are talking about housing for social/private rent or sale, the fundamental fact is that we need a lot more housing of all types to meet the country’s diverse needs.   

“This is the only way to tackle the housing crisis which is impacting far too many of our young people and growing families.

“In Scotland, the scale of the problem is all too clear:  it has been nearly two years since Audit Scotland highlighted the need for half a million new homes over the next 25 years yet less than 15,000 were built last year, representing a drop of 40% in total housing production since 2007.”