We build houses and this is how Scotland's politicians can end the housing emergency
Scotland’s ‘housing emergency’ is no longer just a phrase used by campaigners. It is a daily reality for many families
In recent months, housing has been propelled closer to the top of Scotland’s political agenda than at any time in recent memory. The Scottish Government has appointed a dedicated Cabinet Secretary and set out an all-tenure ambition to increase completions by ten per cent each year.
On paper, this is a welcome acknowledgement of the scale of the crisis. It represents, at least in intent, a recognition that the shortage of homes in Scotland is not just another policy issue but the defining social and economic challenge of our time.
Yet intent without delivery will not build a single new home. That is why the message at the heart of Homes for Scotland’s new public campaign, “Homes Build Futures”, deserves to be heard well beyond the walls of Holyrood.
Bureaucracy stymying smaller builders
The housing emergency is no longer a phrase of campaigners. It has become the daily reality of hundreds of thousands of households across Scotland. More than one in four are now understood to be in some form of housing need. Families are struggling to find secure and affordable homes, young people are unable to step onto the housing ladder, and communities are bearing the brunt of stalled developments and planning bottlenecks.
The big questions is what is going to be done differently now to change outcomes on the ground? Applications for planning permission face lengthy delays, decisions vary wildly between local authorities and small and medium-sized builders are often left unable to compete against bureaucratic hurdles and complex policy requirements.
All the while, the gap between the housing “haves” and “have nots” widens. Recent moves by the Scottish Government are significant yet this will only matter if rhetoric is translated into measurable results through clear timelines, key performance indicators for housing, transparent monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
Homes Build Futures is more than a slogan. It is a call to rethink the way that housing is framed in the political debate. A safe and secure home is the foundation of health, education, community cohesion and economic opportunity. When people have adequate housing that meets their needs, children thrive at school, the NHS faces fewer pressures linked to poor living conditions and businesses are better able to attract workers to local economies.
Building homes is not just about building futures for individuals but also Scotland as a whole. That is why this campaign is vital in ensuring that the housing debate is not lost among competing political priorities.
Our children’s prospects
The consistent theme from Homes for Scotland has been the need for urgency. Without improvement in the planning system, without investment in the capacity of local planning authorities and without a fairer environment for smaller builders to flourish, the goal of ten per cent annual growth in completions will remain out of reach.
Our public campaign recognises that the Scottish public must be part of the conversation and share responsibility for tackling the housing emergency – their quality of life, the prospects of their children and the vitality of their communities depend on it.
So it is crucial that we gather as many voices as possible. We’re delighted to have already attracted broader support from the likes of architect and TV presenter George Clarke who holds the issue of housing very close to his heart. He has highlighted how having a place to call a home is about so much more than bricks and mortar but that, with not enough being built, many people across the country are unable to even begin to dream of what it’s like to have their own home.
Housing must be central to the 2026 Holyrood elections with parties judged not simply on the programmes they put forward in their manifestos but on their credibility to deliver them. Voters should rightly ask why, after years of chronic undersupply and nearly 18 months after a housing emergency was declared, things have not markedly improved.
Demand better
The people of Scotland can choose to make housing the defining success story of the next parliament. By aligning infrastructure with housing targets, by ensuring planning is properly resourced and consistent, by creating a stable policy environment that encourages investment and by setting clear and binding targets, Scotland could shift decisively from crisis management to sustainable progress. The benefits would ripple across the economy while tackling the social injustice of insecure and inadequate housing.
Citizens must demand better and recognise that housing is the thread that ties together many of the issues they care about most deeply, from health and education to the cost of living and climate. Homes Build Futures speaks to that truth. It reminds us that new developments are the building blocks of Scotland’s future prosperity and cohesion.
As this country moves towards a pivotal election, the challenge for politicians is clear. They must demonstrate not only that they grasp the scale of the housing emergency but that they are prepared to make the difficult decisions required to resolve it. They must recognise that political gestures are not enough. And above all, they must convince a sceptical public that, this time, things will be different.
Our framing is stark: homes build futures – but only if they are actually built. The next year will show whether Scotland is ready to turn intent into delivery, promises into progress and a national emergency into a national renewal.
Jane Wood is the chief executive of 200-member industry body Homes for Scotland. Its pre-Scottish Parliament election campaign, Homes Build Futures, launches today
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