Several local authorities have already declared a housing emergency. These include Glasgow and Edinburgh, which are the biggest councils in the country.The then SNP-Green Government cut the housing budget by nearly £200 million - some 26 per cent - in December.
Labour housing spokesman Mark Griffin said there was “no doubt” Scotland was “in the grips of a housing emergency”. “The Greens have an opportunity to hold the SNP government to account for a litany of failures on housing, including plans to tear up the Bute House Agreement affordable housing pledge. Michael Creech from Hardies Property & Construction Consultants said the cuts to the housing budget resulted in a 91 per cent increase to the cost of building an affordable home.
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Scotland is in the grip of a housing emergency which is wreaking havoc on the life chances of workers throughout the country." Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced in December that the total spend on housing would fall by more than £200m for the current financial year.The biggest cut was in housebuilding, with a drop of nearly £190m in funding.Funds for fuel poverty and housing quality budgets were also drastically cut, from £21.8m to £1.7m.