Scottish First Minister urges UK action to support housing sector

First Minister John Swinney has urged the UK Government to do more to support Scotland's housing sector in the upcoming Spending Review.

The First Minister will set out his vision for the future of Scotland's housing sector in a speech at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations in Glasgow later.

Ahead of his speech the First Minister said:

“Scotland faces a housing crisis which is why we are investing £768 million in affordable housing in 2025-26, the majority of which will be for social rent. This includes up to £40 million for acquisitions, to help reduce the number of homeless households, especially with children, in temporary accommodation.

“We are keenly aware of the benefits of providing multi-year spending plans to our partners and want to prove this stability across the public sector. We continue to call on the UK Government to provide multi-year funding for housing to give developers and third sector organisations long-term certainty.

“The UK Government must also commit to unfreezing Local Housing Allowance rates. These rates set the amount that private renters receive to help with rent. Increasing these rates can be a key lever that can help protect tenants. Repegging these rates to the 30th percentile of local rents would mean greater security for many households across Scotland.”