Edinburgh Council has spent almost £95.5 million buying new-build homes from private developers in the past two years, according to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.

A total of £95,446,000 has been spent purchasing 335 newbuild properties to be used for social housing since January 2023, with the average home costing the council almost £285,000. This includes buying 20 homes in 2023/24 for £5,481,462 and 202 homes in 2024/25 for £56,940,127. A further 113 newbuild properties purchased this financial year for £33,024,411 are still to be legally finalised.

The news comes amid criticism aimed at the council for not providing value for money for taxpayers, and claims that the purchases do not help ease Edinburgh’s housing crisis. Last year, the city declared a housing emergency, as the number of homeless people staying in temporary accommodation nationally reaching a 22-year high.

The Scottish Conservatives have urged that while buying these newbuild properties is helping to get more people settled into social housing, it is not a long-term solution to the problem, The Scotsman reports.

Miles Briggs, Conservative MSP, said: “The significant increase in spend by Edinburgh council on purchasing new build homes reflects the housing emergency that we currently have in the capital, but begs a number of questions over value for money.

“Buying more newbuild homes is understand able in the short term. However, it is not a long-term solution for dealing with Edinburgh’s housing crisis. Buying too many homes from private contractors risks destabilising the housing market and increasing prices for private buyers.

“If we are going to significantly increase the availability of social housing in the capital, then we need to see both Edinburgh Council and housing associations supported in building the homes on the sites which have already been granted permission, as well as an urgent drive to bring back the thousands of empty properties in the city.”

Lezley Marion Cameron, housing, homelessness and fair work convener at Edinburgh Council, said: “The pressures on Edinburgh’s housing and homelessness services continue to be such that we need a great many more homes and significantly more financial resources from government too. Buying new build homes is part of a wider suite of solutions to alleviate Edinburgh’s acute housing shortage.

“In the past 12 months, we have halved the number of void properties and the recent recruitment of two additional empty homes officers means we are being more proactive in bringing empty homes across our city back into use.”

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “We have a strong track record in affordable housing having supported the delivery of 135,000 affordable homes since 2007. We have also boosted investment in affordable homes in Edinburgh to more than £51m this year.”