| More than 4,000 new council houses have been built in Scotland with Scottish Government funding, providing a “huge boost” to the economy, First Minister Alex Salmond said yesterday (Monday 18 August).
Analysis shows that the Scottish Government Council House Build Programme – introduced in April 2009 – has seen more than £135 million invested to provide local authority housing for people across the country.
The funding incentivises local authorities to build new homes – the first such central government support to councils in a generation.
Speaking during a visit to a scheme to provide 18 new homes at Noran Avenue in Arbroath, backed by £652,000 of Scottish Government funding, Mr Salmond said:
“Our funding for council house building has now provided more than 4,000 new homes across Scotland and demonstrates the scale and ambition of this programme – the first in Scotland in a generation.
“Backed by £135 million of Scottish Government funding, the programme has provided much needed new homes for people the length and breadth of Scotland. This transformation followed the period before this government came to power, when just six council homes were built in four years to March 2007.
“This demonstrates our commitment to investing in infrastructure to support our economy. In Scotland we have consistently adopted the approach that maintaining this kind of vital capital spending is vital to support growth and employment.
“We plan to spend over £1.7 billion to deliver our target of 30,000 affordable homes during the lifetime of this parliament, supporting an estimated 8,000 jobs each year.” |
ÜserHuus/Tigh Grian by JR Partners 
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