SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes pledges new housebuilding body for Scotland
Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes has said she will establish a new body for housebuilding in Scotland tasked with creating thousands of home for purchase and rent every year if she is elected First Minister.
Acknowledging that the supply of affordable housing across the country is under 'immense pressure', Ms Forbes wants to give local authorities new powers to implement a Council Tax surcharge on empty second homes.
The Finance Secretary also said that housing must be viewed as a necessary infrastructure in 'building a better Scotland, rather than a privilege out with the reach of so many'.
She added that a 'secure, comfortable and low energy home needs to be accessible to all, and that the nation has the people, the materials and land – it just needs vision, will and organisation'.
Ms Forbes said: “Affordable housing is under immense pressure in Scotland. Despite the SNP’s track record of building thousands of homes since 2007, many young families can’t afford a warm, safe home.
"This is particularly acute in rural and remote parts of Scotland where there is a high density of holiday homes.
"As First Minister I would focus on identifying more land in key areas that can be built on, offering councils the option of implementing a Council Tax surcharge on empty second homes and targeting further investment specifically for rural and remote areas.”
She continued: “To me the key task is to ensure we have sufficient, affordable housing of good quality for everyone.
"Because of mobility patterns in modern Scotland we need to have sufficient choice and availability as part of our plans.
"But the basic need is to stimulate the building of thousands of new homes for purchase and rent every year.
“I would like to see a new body for house building in Scotland, tasked with further developing house building capacity and acting as an agent for change.
"It could build houses for both rent and sale; it could act as an agent for expanding construction skills apprenticeships to tackle skills shortages. In other words it could be a central feature of supply chains in Scotland able to respond to changing needs.
“Our task is to build more high quality homes for the people of Scotland and I think we need this type of new thinking to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
“Housing needs to be regarded as a necessary infrastructure in building a better Scotland and not a privilege out with the reach of so many in our country.
"A secure, comfortable and low energy home needs to be accessible to all in a future Scotland, we have the people, the materials, and the land, we just need the vision, will and organisation.”
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