Housing

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 6 October 2011.

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Photo of Jim Hume Jim Hume Liberal Democrat

I, too, am glad to have the opportunity to debate such an important issue. The various statistics surrounding the housing debate in Scotland are eye watering and should concentrate minds across the political spectrum. Currently, 156,000 families in Scotland are languishing on housing waiting lists, and many of them have been doing so for many years. When we consider that population projections suggest a net increase of more than 200,000 households in Scotland by the end of 2020, we get a sense of the enormity of the challenge. That makes the SNP’s 30 per cent cut to the housing budget in one financial year and its 42 per cent cut in real terms over the spending review period all the more difficult to understand. The settlement for housing that was announced in the spending review was one of the major disappointments.