Families ‘paying the price’ as SNP fails to deliver affordable homes – Labour

Ministers have been accused of failing to build affordable homes, with Scottish Labour claiming working-age families are “paying the price” as the number of Scots renting from private landlords has soared.

According to census data published on Monday, the number of people in Scotland renting privately or through a letting agency rose by 18% between 2011 and 2022, with about one in three Scots overall now renting.

The number of people with mortgages or housing loans fell by 11% in the same time period, the data showed.

There was a 29% increase in the number of people who own their homes outright between 2011 and 2022, but Labour said home ownership levels fell for people aged between 35 and 64 in the period.

The data comes after separate figures obtained by Scottish Labour show that, on average, rents contested by tenants in Scotland jumped by an average of 20% following the end of the temporary rent freeze in April 2024.

Mark Griffin, Scottish Labour housing spokesman, said: “Scottish Labour believes that everyone who wants to own their own home should have a pathway to do so, but these figures show homeownership remains a far-off dream for too many Scots.

“The SNP has been in power for the entire time the census covers, but rather than coming up with a plan for Scots who want to move out of the private rented sector, it has slashed the affordable housing budget, let house building crumble on its watch and failed to come up with a sustainable solution for renters.

“Because there is nowhere else for them to go, working families and young people without a bank of Mum and Dad are stuck in the private rental sector, often spending more and more on soaring rents.

“Rachel Reeves has pledged to build 1.5 million homes in England – tackling the housing emergency in Scotland requires similar focus to increase to housing supply, ensuring people are able to get onto the housing ladder and into social and affordable homes.”

Housing minister Paul McLennan said: “Since 2007, we have supported the delivery of more than 130,000 affordable homes, with more than 93,000 of those being for social rent.

“We will continue to build on that record with almost £600 million of investment in the affordable housing supply programme this year and we remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.”