Scot Lib Dems call for action to tackle thousands of mouldy homes

Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson Susan Murray MP has said that the SNP are “leaving Scotland to rot” as she revealed figures showing 15,000 cases of mould and damp in local authority and housing association homes across the country this year.

People living with mould are more likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses, infections, allergies or asthma. In 2020, two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to Scotland’s councils and housing associations revealed that:

• Local authorities and housing associations have recorded 15,175 cases of damp and mould in their housing stock in 2025 so far. 
• In 2024, for which there is a full year’s worth of data, there were 17,148 cases of damp and mould. For those bodies which provided previous years’ figures, 2024 represented a 13% increase on cases recorded in 2023.
• Wheatley Homes Glasgow, the housing association responsible for Glasgow’s social housing stock, has recorded 5,196 cases of mould in 2025 so far.
• West Lothian Council has recorded 1,601 dampness-related repairs this year, while North Ayrshire has recorded 1,597 jobs for black mould and condensation issues.  
• In Fife, there have been 953 cases of black mould recorded in 2025 to date.

Liberal Democrat Scottish Affairs spokesperson Susan Murray MP said:

“These figures show that the SNP are leaving Scotland to rot. For many years, the SNP have made brutal cuts to council budgets, denying local authorities the resources needed to improve housing for some of their most vulnerable residents.

“Mould and damp can result in serious health issues for everyone having to live with it. This has only been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, which has caused many Scots to stop heating their homes as regularly as they otherwise would.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have a realistic plan to deliver change with fairness at its heart. We would end more than two decades of SNP contempt for local government and roll out an emergency insulation programme to make homes cheaper and easier to heat.

“Next May, no matter where you live in Scotland, you can vote for that plan by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach-coloured ballot paper.”