SNP pledges 100,000 new homes and 14,000 jobs

A major house-building programme which would see 100,000 new homes built over the next ten years has been promised by the SNP as the party makes its first significant pledge of the Scottish election campaign.

If the party is re-elected, plans for the next decade would support 14,000 jobs a year helping to rebuild from the pandemic, which the party says would generate investment of £16bn – making it the largest home building and investment programmes since devolution.

At least 70 per cent of the homes would be for social rent.

The SNP has also pledged to introduce a new single standard for housing quality, making sure homes would be more energy efficient, more spacious and better quality.

Speaking on Friday at a COSLA conference, Nicola Sturgeon is expected to say: “In partnership with councils and social landlords, we have delivered nearly 100,000 affordable homes in our time in office – and if the SNP is re-elected, ramping up this ambition will be central to our plans.

“We will deliver a further 100,000 affordable homes over the next decade – with at least 70 per cent of these being for social rent.

“We’ll back this major ambitious programme with £3.4 billion investment in the next parliamentary term. This target overall would support about £16 billion in total investment and up to 14,000 jobs a year.

“That is a huge investment in jobs, in homes and in better communities – a down-payment on Scotland’s economic recovery.”