Money for council homes announced

Nearly �17m will be given to 14 councils to build new homes

The Scottish Government has announced which councils have been successful in securing money to build new local authority homes.

Nearly £17m will be shared among 14 councils, including Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Moray and North Ayrshire.

North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian will also get funds.

This will be the first major council house building programme in 30 years.

Minister for Housing and Communities Alex Neil said: "The Scottish Government is investing record amounts in affordable housing, more than £1.5bn over three years.

"In the Scottish Government's first year in office, more social sector homes were started than at any time since the early 1990s.

COUNCIL HOME FUNDING Aberdeenshire Council will receive £850,000 for 34 homes City of Edinburgh Council will be given £1.7m for 67 properties East Lothian Council will get £2.6m for 105 homes Falkirk Council will receive £750,000 for 30 homes Fife Council will be given £875,000 for 35 homes Midlothian Council will receive £2.5m for 252 homes Moray Council will be given £1m for 40 homes North Ayrshire Council will get £575,000 for 23 properties North Lanarkshire Council will receive £1m for 40 homes Orkney Islands Council will be given £450,000 for 18 homes Perth and Kinross Council will receive £650,000 for 26 properties South Lanarkshire Council will get £850,000 for 34 homes Stirling Council will be given £600,000 for 24 properties West Lothian Council will receive £2.5m for 248 homes

"Building on this, the announcement today will help the successful local authorities to reverse decades of decline in council house building as well as safeguarding jobs, supporting the construction industry and keeping the economy moving."

East Lothian Council will receive the most money - it is being given £2.6m to go towards 105 properties.

Aberdeenshire Council is to receive £850,000 to put towards 34 homes.

Local councillor Gurudeo Saluja said: "The creation of affordable housing is one of the council's key priorities and with over 7,000 households on our waiting list this successful bid for funding will support our strategies around the provision of new affordable housing, including helping deliver on our Homelessness Action Plan."

Perth and Kinross Council will be given £650,000 to go towards 26 homes.

Councillor Peter Barrett said: "These will be the first council houses built locally since 1985.

"This success represents a major investment in housing by this council and now we can start to provide acutely needed affordable homes for local families."

However, Dundee City Council was one of the local authorities who lost out on funding.

Outstanding issues

Housing convener Jimmy Black is hopeful their bid to build wheelchair accessible homes will be successful when the government shares out the remaining £8m of funding still to be allocated.

He said: "Cosla assesses the bids and effectively decides who gets the awards. The minister has asked civil servants to work with us to ensure that all outstanding issues are cleared up before we resubmit our bid to Cosla, and we have set up a working party to do this job.

"Some of the families who need this housing have been on our waiting list for years."

Labour said that the funding announcement fell short of what many local authorities had bid for.

Housing spokeswoman Mary Mulligan said: "Whilst new funding is always welcome - this is all a bit half-hearted.

"Councils were promised £25m but only £17m has been announced. Why isn't the Scottish Government in a position to announce the other £8m by now?

"Scotland needs to get on with building houses immediately."

She said more delays would harm people on housing lists and the construction industry.

"It should be pointed out that these 970 homes will not fill the shortfall in Housing Association homes caused by the SNP reducing the HAG [Housing Association Grant]. It's taking from one fund and then giving less to another."

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