The move is part of several measures that follow the council’s announcement last year that the area is experiencing an acute shortage of suitable housing and a rise in homelessness following the pandemic.

The new project officer will help increase focus on a range of areas designed to speed up the delivery of improved housing options throughout local communities.

These will include identifying potential development sites via the acquisition of land, exploring possible council buy-back and resale schemes of second homes or holiday lets, investigating options for bringing disused properties back into use and identifying private new build sites in key areas of Argyll and Bute.

Council leader Robin Currie said: “The supply of available housing throughout the UK has decreased considerably over the last few years, while both demand and property prices continue to rise.

“By highlighting the extent of the housing emergency facing our communities last year, our aim was to raise the issue at local and national level and take action to achieve the best possible outcome for local people. A great deal of work is already underway to tackle this challenging situation but the creation of this specialist position will allow the Project Officer to bring real focus to some of these initiatives and ensure that we improve housing choice for the people of Argyll and Bute.”