Scot Lib Dems bemoan SNP Government housebuilding failure

Scottish Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson Morven-May MacCallum MSP has today encouraged the Scottish Government to increase the number of homes being built as new figures revealed a sluggish industry with both completions and starts falling from last year.

The Scottish Government's quarterly housing statistics show:

• Aside from 2020-21 where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding, all-sector completions were the lowest since 2016-17.
• Starts were the lowest since 2012-13.
• In total, 17,268 new homes were built (completed), and 14,955 homes were started in 2025-26 in Scotland. With completions down 10% (-1,914) and starts down 4% (-693) from 2024-25.
• At the current rate of progress, the Scottish Government's target to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 will be missed by a significant margin.

Morven-May MacCallum MSP said:

“Too many Scots have nowhere to live or are paying through the nose. Housebuilding is going in the wrong direction and this needs to change.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would tackle the chronic housing shortage by returning housebuilding to a level that gets 25,000 new homes built annually and creates new key worker housing so that finding a home isn’t a barrier to taking up a job when somewhere is crying out for your skills.

“Housebuilders have told us that the SNP’s chopping and changing of housing policy must end because it’s forced big institutional investors away. We need to make Scotland a place where people want to invest and get new housing of every kind built.”