Scottish Government house building statistics released today reveal the accumulated shortfall in new homes since 2007 has risen to more than 110,000.

The continued failure to meet the required target is expected to be raised in the Scottish parliament on Wednesday.

Jane Wood, chief executive of sector body Homes for Scotland, said there was a “critical shortage of homes”.

While there was a welcome increase of 1,806 completions in the year end to June 2022, this is more than offset by the 2,765 drop in the number of homes started.

She said it will further add to the shortfall of more than 110,000 that has accumulated since 2007.

“Figures also show that the number of social sector starts in the year end September 2022 fell by 16%,” she said.

She added that this reflects “significant concerns” first raised with Scottish Government officials last April regarding the viability of contracts in light of massively increased costs and which the industry believes contributes to this drop.

“This has serious implications for the Scottish Government’s target of 110,000 homes by 2032,” said Ms Wood.

“In light of the interdependencies between social and private housing delivery, it is vital that the Scottish Government looks to take a pragmatic all-tenure approach to addressing the many barriers that exist, and that it recognises the additional impact that regulatory change can have on its housing ambitions. 

“Critically, policy decisions must be underpinned by relevant and contextual data and evidence. 

“We are committed to working with the Scottish Government to identify and resolve any gaps that exist so that ongoing and future policy does not negatively impact the number of homes that Scotland requires to meet the needs and aspirations of its people, and value our ongoing discussions and collaboration.”