Davidson outlines social housing crisis plans

RUTH DAVIDSON insisted the Scottish Conservatives are more than just the “No to independence party” as she announced a policy blueprint to tackle what she describes as Scotland’s housing crisis.

The leader said the national shortage in accommodation is the worst since the Second World War and that the housing situation had worsened since the SNP came to power in 2007.

With Scottish Labour engulfed in a leadership contest following Kezia Dugdale’s sudden resignation, Ms Davidson said the Tories had a “huge opportunity” to put t heir i deas to t he country.

Ms Davidson said: “The last time we had a housing crisis on this scale was in the aftermath of the Second World War.

“Back then, politicians had the courage to act in order to get building. We now need to find the same courage to address a crisis that is of similar proportions.”

The failure of the housing market is “depriving thousands of young people one of the most basic opportunities in society, the ability to buy and own your home.” she argued.

Ms Davidson said: “This is something Conservatives simply cannot ignore. It is a bedrock of Conservative belief that we should encourage a propertyowning democracy.

“Yet, increasingly, we now have something more akin to a property-owning oligarchy.”

To help increase housing supply she said the Scottish Government needed to “face up to the absolute and total mess that is the planning system of this country”.

But she warned forthcoming legislation will likely “fail to be sufficiently radical in making it easier to build private sector housing”.