Social housing numbers up

The supply of new homes in Scotland has risen 3% in a year with housing association new builds driving the increase.

Figures to the end of June show the number of social sector homes rose by around one-third year on year while private sector starts fell.

The number of affordable homes approved in the year to June 30, 2017, rose 30% on the previous year to 10,612, with 9,750 started by that date – up 17% year on year.

Sales of public authority homes under the right to buy scheme, which ended in August 2016, rose by 68% to 3,510 between the financial year 2015-16 and 2016-17 and overall local authority housing stock fell by 1,737 homes (1%) in the same period.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “By ending the right to buy we are protecting up to 15,500 social homes from sale over the next 10 years and safeguarding this stock for future generations.”

He said the Scottish Government is “committed to delivering more affordable housing per head of the population than the UK Government. This is a massive investment backing up our target, which is ambitious, challenging and absolutely necessary.”