Homes for Scotland (HFS) has welcomed the First Minister's renewed commitment to tackling the country's housing emergency and collaborating more closely with the sector to boost housing delivery.

In a high-level meeting this morning, senior leaders from the home building sector engaged in a constructive dialogue with First Minister John Swinney and new Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Màiri McAllan.

The discussion focused on the state of the industry, housing system governance, and the need to unlock supply across all tenures. Emphasis was placed on the importance of deeper, more structured collaboration to ensure that policy development is informed by the insight of HFS members.

HFS Chief Executive Jane Wood said: "The First Minister’s direct engagement with the home building sector sends a clear and welcome signal that the Scottish Government is serious about responding to Scotland’s housing emergency. New homes are the foundation of thriving communities but without urgent action and genuine collaboration with the sector to understand and tackle the regulatory and planning challenges that currently impact new housing delivery, the emergency will only deepen.

-- Advertisement --

"It is critical that this dialogue results in meaningful change – from a more effective regulatory framework that can foster a supportive and resourced planning regime to a long-term policy agenda that can provide the certainty that our members require to invest."

First Minister John Swinney reaffirmed the Scottish Government's commitment to increasing housing delivery, noting the aim of eradicating child poverty and growing the economy.

He said: "The Housing Secretary and I met with Homes for Scotland representatives to discuss how we can work collaboratively to achieve that aim, including how our investment of £768 million this year in affordable homes can help increase housing supply."

He acknowledged the challenging situation but highlighted that the government has already delivered over 7,400 affordable homes and supported an estimated 2,457 households with children into affordable housing in the year to the end of March 2025. The Programme for Government reiterates the commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Jane Wood added that HFS and its members "stand ready to play their part in increasing the supply of high-quality, energy-efficient and affordable homes across all tenures to tackle the housing emergency."