THE Scottish Government has announced an extra £200 million for affordable housing.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell unveiled the commitment on Sunday, ahead of the Scottish Budget in the new year.
The interim funding available for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2021/22 would be increased from £300m to £500m.
The Government said this would help provide “funding certainty for local authorities, housing associations and the construction sector as they look to recover from the impact of coronavirus”.
The programme is used to deliver homes for social rent, mid-market rent and shared equity.
Campbell said: “Covid-19 has underlined the value of home as a safe place to live. This announcement shows our dedication to continue delivering affordable, warm, secure homes for the people of Scotland and to build on our achievement of delivering nearly 96,000 affordable homes since 2007.
“By significantly increasing the funding able to be committed now, we are building on our record £3.5 billion commitment over this parliament and our plans for further capital investment laid out recently in our draft Infrastructure Investment Plan.
“This will help the economy and the construction sector to recover from the pandemic while ensuring we maintain momentum in the delivery of social and affordable homes to those who need them.”
Meanwhile, at the SNP conference, delegates backed a resolution urging the Scottish Government to “implement any new measures required to protect and enhance affordability within the social rented sector in Scotland”.
Cabinet Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Rising inequality is a problem which governments across the world have a moral obligation to address.”
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