Scotland’s housing crisis was thrown into the spotlight today as long-term plans to tackle the same problem south of the border were announced by in Parliament by Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid.

With the total number of new homes being built in Scotland each year still 40 per cent down on pre-recession levels whilst the country’s population has grown to its highest ever level, Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of industry body Homes for Scotland, said:

“As Sajid Javid said, the root cause of the housing shortage is the simple fact that not enough homes have been built, and that applies equally in Scotland.

“We need to move away from thinking of housing policy in terms of election cycles and narrowly focusing on ‘affordable housing’ and instead look at the requirements for all tenures over the next 15-20 years. This is exactly the message I gave to our own Cabinet Secretary Angela Constance at a meeting earlier today.

“We also need to be brave about the issues that are holding housing back, like the availability of land and the provision of infrastructure, or we will never have enough homes to meet the diverse needs and aspirations of those living in Scotland.”