New figures released by the Scottish Government have shown that between April 2025 and March 2026, just 18,028 new homes were added to Scotland’s housing stock despite the government declaring a national housing emergency in May 2024.
These figures represent an eight per cent drop on the previous year and the lowest annual total since 2014-15, excluding the Covid period when construction was halted.
As of March 2026, the number of vacant local authority homes had risen by four per cent to 10,253, including properties awaiting demolition or unable to be let until modernisation work is completed.
Campaigners have been reacting to the news and are demanding that more social homes are delivered.
Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, Interim Director at Shelter Scotland said: “We are simply not building social homes fast enough, nor investing at the scale Scotland’s housing emergency demands. Today’s statistics show an annual drop of 8% in new homes added to Scotland’s housing stock - the lowest level in a decade. A record number of children are trapped in temporary accommodation, a direct result of chronic underinvestment and poor political choices.
“Homelessness is not inevitable, but we cannot promise or blame our way out of the housing emergency; we need to build our way out. If we don’t deliver at least 15,693 social homes needed each year, thousands of families will remain trapped in limbo with their health, wellbeing and chance to thrive impacted.
“Politicians of all stripes need to step up if we want to end homelessness. Any extra capital funding from the Chancellor’s investment plans announced in tomorrow’s UK Budget must be used by Scottish Ministers to deliver more social homes, and the Scottish Government must provide the funding needed to uphold its commitment to end the use of harmful and unsafe temporary accommodation for children in December’s Scottish Budget.
“While housing is devolved, there are four key things the Chancellor can do in this UK Budget to support Scotland. He can unfreeze Local Housing Allowance to help people keep a roof over their heads. He can scrap the bedroom tax and benefit cap and unlock more investment for Scotland so councils can build the social homes needed.”