CIH Scotland response to consultation on Scottish Labour manifesto 2026

Housing plays a vital role in supporting the economy directly through creating jobs in construction, maintenance and retrofit, and indirectly by providing homes for key staff. This is a particularly significant issue in some rural areas where a lack of affordable housing is leading to depopulation and undermining growth in local economies.

The value of housing

A study published in 2019 by the Fraser of Allander Institute found that the transformation of social housing in Glasgow under Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) helped to boost the Scottish economy by almost £2 billion and supported thousands of jobs. The study estimated that since its inception in 2003, GHA’s capital expenditure programme helped to support an average of 2,425 full-time equivalent jobs per year.

A report by Homes for Scotland highlights the significant social and economic benefits generated by house building, including creating and supporting employment opportunities across Scotland. The number of people directly employed in the construction of new homes increased by 6.7 per cent between 2013 and 2019, and in overall terms, the Scottish home building sector employed up to 79,200 people across a range of organisations, operations and occupations in 2019.

Economic opportunities of net zero

As Scotland moves towards net zero emissions by 2045, the demand for new green skills and increased innovation presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the creation of jobs in the retrofit sector.

A report from the Construction Industry Training Board published in 2021 found that around 22,500 new roles will need to be created by 2028 to achieve the Scottish government’s net zero goals. Filling the gap requires not only new recruits to the sector but also reskilling and upskilling of the current workforce.

A 2023 briefing paper published by the Just Transition Commission calls for the Scottish government to step up with bold and decisive leadership to meet climate targets and considers some of the strategic decisions that need to be made to deliver a new workforce at the scale needed to deliver the retrofit of existing buildings urgently required.

A long-term approach

In August 2024, The David Hume Institute announced a new programme of work with Professor Duncan MacLennan, an applied economist specialising in housing, neighbourhoods and cities, to look at the actions needed to transform the housing system in Scotland. The work, which will conclude in May 2025, will look at the actions needed to reframe and reshape housing policy and governance, and will aim to deliver proposals that address the current housing emergency as well as transforming Scotland’s housing system in the decades ahead.

It will consider current system failures (i.e. unstable housing markets, rising house prices, rise of the PRS by accident rather than design, flat incomes coupled with failure to build enough social/affordable housing) which have contributed to the housing emergency, as well as the broader impact of housing outcomes in shaping environmental and economic productivity. Further details of the areas that will be explored are available here.

The findings of the project should provide an evidence base for the future of the housing sector and should be taken into account as longer term strategies for the housing sector are developed.

Scotland's population is ageing, with the number of people aged 75 and over set to increase by 85 per cent by 2039. Being able to live independently at home, or in a homely setting, for as long as possible can be hugely beneficial for both physical and mental health, and can reduce the need for more costly interventions such as a stay in hospital or a move to residential care.

Investing in housing improves wellbeing and supports independence

The importance of accessible housing and supporting people to live well in their homes throughout their lives was the focus for last year’s Scottish Housing Day and saw the publication of a new report which set out recommendations to help ensure there are a range of housing options available to meet different needs within mainstream housing, and that specialist housing is available for people who need additional support.

Equipment and adaptations can also help local authorities and the NHS make significant savings as they are often provided in place of more costly forms of care like home care, admission to a care home, or preventing a delayed discharge from hospital.

The Adaptations Working Group (AWG) was convened by the Scottish government in 2011 and published recommendations in 2012 highlighting the complexity of the existing system for getting an adaptation. While some AWG recommendations have been actioned, more must be done to ensure that people can access adaptations when needed, regardless of their housing tenure.  

In October 2024, the Scottish government was warned that cuts to grants to pay for adaptations risked trapping patients in hospital after a 25 per cent cut to the funding meant there was only £8.2 million of funding available despite social landlords requesting £28.1 million from the programme. Additional funding proposed in the draft budget for 2025/26 is welcome but will not meet the estimated shortfalls.

CIH Scotland, SFHA and the University of Stirling are undertaking new research into unmet needs for adaptations across Scotland which we anticipate publishing this spring. 

Tackling homelessness saves money

Homelessness has a negative impact on both physical and mental health and wellbeing, and people experiencing homelessness often have poorer physical and mental health than the general population. Investing in homelessness prevention and building more social and affordable homes can help to address these heath inequalities and as a result, help to reduce pressures on the NHS and other public services.

Research published by the Scottish government in 2018 showed clear links between homelessness, poor health and increased use of NHS services. People who have experienced homelessness:

• Were almost twice as likely to attend accident and emergency services as the most deprived cohort (MDC) and three times as likely as the least deprived cohort (LDC)
• Accounted for over half of acute hospital admissions and just under half of all outpatient appointments
• Accounted for two thirds of dispensed prescriptions, 2.5 times higher than the MDC group and 8.2 times higher than the LDC.

Scotland’s Housing First Pathfinder programme ran for three years from April 2019 and provided independent tenancies and support for 579 individuals across five areas: Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling.  The final evaluation report from the project, published in 2022, shows that there is potential for cost savings if the support provided to Housing First clients can reduce their public service consumption (i.e. health/criminal justice services, etc).

CIH research into the implementation of Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs) has shown that RRTP funding provided a catalyst for vital homelessness prevention work fostering partnership working and innovative approaches as well as supporting the roll out of Housing First initiatives. Our work highlights the need for continuation of dedicated RRTP funding and longer-term certainty to allow planning and commissioning of services and staff recruitment and retention.

A social impact report conducted for SFHA by HACT has highlighted the significant social value demonstrated through 11 Homelessness Prevention Fund projects funded by the Scottish government in partnership with SFHA.

The assessment, published in 2024, showed that £31.6 million of social value was created from the activities across all eleven projects which included c.£4.9 million in wider financial savings to the state, showing that as well as having a real impact on person centred social outcomes, preventing homelessness is also a practical investment for the Scottish government.

The housing profession is not often promoted to young people through our education system, but it does provide a fulfilling career for tens of thousands of people across Scotland, encompassing a broad range of skills and disciplines from customer care, human resources, finance, maintenance, development and more.

Supporting housing careers and professionalism

In 2023, CIH Scotland and SFHA launched a new online resource to help bolster both housing and young people’s careers. The ‘Your Career in Housing’ website has been created to provide young people with the skills and opportunities needed to get into a meaningful career.

CIH Scotland also launched a new Housing Professionalism Commitment in 2024 to encourage housing organisations to publicly demonstrate how they will support ongoing education and continuing professional development (CPD) for staff at all levels in their organisation. This follows on from the introduction of CIH’s Professional Standards Framework in 2021 which aims to ensure all housing practitioners, no matter their role, had the right values and behaviours to work in the sector.

While we can support and encourage professionalism in the sector, we also need clear leadership and direction from government. The Grenfell review which highlighted issues with culture and lack of accountability, and UK government’s emerging approach towards damp and mould should be considered in the Scottish context, ensuring that similar tragedies are prevented, not reacted to. We’d like to see a national approach to workforce planning and development for the housing sector.

Student housing and homelessness

Thousands of students across Scotland are at risk of homelessness and unable to access the right housing in the country's biggest cities, according to a 2024 report for a cross party group of MSPs, chaired by CIH Scotland. New analysis shows a severe student housing crisis in cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee and calls on the Scottish government to take immediate action to tackle the issue.

The report for the Cross Party Group on Housing highlights significant shortfalls in student accommodation, including a shortfall of 13,852 bedspaces in Edinburgh, 6,093 in Glasgow, and 6,084 in Dundee. Students may also be unaware of housing rights, particularly international students, and may not know where to go for advice.

Good quality homes and services play a key role in building strong, resilient communities, improving health and wellbeing and supporting people to reach their full potential. However, the housing emergency in Scotland shows that we are failing to build enough affordable and social homes to meet current demand and increasing the supply of affordable housing is key to addressing both housing need and tackling poverty and child poverty.  

Good quality, affordable homes reduce fuel poverty

Poor quality, energy inefficient housing can make fuel bills unaffordable, resulting in fuel poverty and exacerbating cost of living pressures, particularly for low-income households.

In 2021, the Scottish government published a new fuel poverty strategy which aims to tackle the drivers of fuel poverty to ensure everyone can afford the energy they need to live comfortably. Unfortunately, progress has been slow and fuel poverty rates are actually rising. In 2022, 31 per cent of households were living in fuel poverty (up from 24.6 per cent in 2019) and 18.5 per cent were living in extreme fuel poverty (up from 12.4 per cent). More must be done to tackle poor energy efficiency in homes as well as high energy costs.

Preventing homelessness on release from prison reduces reoffending

Having somewhere to stay on release from custody is key to successful reintegration into the community and is often the means to accessing other services.

The Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone (SHORE) Standards promote a nationally consistent approach in meeting the housing needs of people released from custody, ensuring that everyone has access to a suitable and sustainable home. In turn this will contribute towards the prevention of homelessness and reoffending, reducing costs and pressure on both the housing and criminal justice systems.

Housing can do more to support victims of domestic abuse with the right support

We know that domestic abuse is the main cause of homelessness for women in Scotland and more can be done to prevent this. We welcome the Scottish government’s focus on tackling violence against women and girls and recent legislation that can provide better housing outcomes. However, we are still waiting for the powers in the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2021 to be enacted to enable social landlords to evict the perpetrator of abuse from a joint tenancy and allow the victim to remain in their home is they wish to do so. Introducing powers without implementing them is not acceptable.

Similarly, we welcome the provision in the new Housing Bill which would require all social landlords to have a domestic abuse policy in place – but this requirement alone will not be enough to change practice if resources are not available to support staff training and fund the necessary interventions to keep victims safe and prevent homelessness. Our recent review of existing domestic abuse policies showed that only nine social landlords across Scotland have suitable policies in place. Organisations need resources to ensure that policies are not only written but effectively implemented to achieve real change.

Visit Labour's website for more information on the consultation.

For more information on our response please contact Ashley Campbell CIHCM, policy and practice manager on ashley.campbell@cih.org.