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HOUSING professionals have demanded a political response to Scotland’s housing emergency ahead of their Glasgow conference.
The Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland (CIH) joined Argyll & Bute, Edinburgh and Glasgow councils in declaring a housing emergency, hitting out at the SNP-Green Scottish budget, which slashed a staggering 43 per cent — £196 million — from the housing budget while more than 30,000 people remain homeless.
CIH Scotland’s Callum Chomczuk said that it was not too late for the Scottish or Westminster governments to take action.
He said: “Scotland is in the midst of a housing emergency and we need a political response.
“We want to see the UK Budget provide increased spending.
“However, we also want to see the Scottish government prioritise the delivery and building of affordable housing.
“We want to see the affordable housing budget front-loaded so social landlords can keep building, as it is always going to be cheaper to build today than it is tomorrow.”
“We need an emergency plan and funding for delivering the social homes Scotland needs.”
Green Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie said: “Recently published figures on homelessness show the introduction of emergency legislation to protect tenants during the cost-of-living crisis has accompanied a reduction in the number of private renters becoming homeless.
“At the same time, Scottish Landlord Register data shows that the number of registered properties for rent in Scotland between August 2022 and January 2024 has increased by 1.7 per cent.
“We have been developing the Housing Bill to deliver a new deal for tenants, including the introduction of long-term rent controls for the private rented sector, creating new tenants’ rights.”
