FM issues ‘use it or lose it’ warning to councils on house building money

Delivering her 2017 conference speech to SNP members yesterday, the party leader repeated the Scottish Government’s commitment to delivering 50,000 affordable homes over this Parliamentary term – including 35,000 for social rent.

However, while ensuring funding is given to councils to deliver social housing, Ms Sturgeon said the funding will be redirected to other councils if not used.

The First Minister said: “We’ve already set out how much money councils will be allocated each year. And we will not allow any of it to be diverted to other priorities.

“Let me make this clear to every council today. If you don’t use all of your allocation to deliver new housing, we will take back the balance and give it to one that can.

“On money for housing - if you don’t use it, you will lose it.

“Every last penny of our investment will go to delivering the new houses that people across this country need. That is our guarantee.”

Details of each local authority’s full funding allocation totalling more than £1.75 billion for affordable housing over the next three years were unveiled in June.

In 2018-19, £532 million will be shared amongst local authorities – rising to £591m in 2019-20 and £630m in 2020-21.

Full breakdown of each local authority’s Long-term Resource Planning Assumptions: