Council Backs Scottish Government Scheme for More Rented Housing Provision

Aberdeenshire Council has given its backing to setting up a National Housing Trust partnership in order to tackle the housing shortage in the North-east.

The National Housing Trust model is a Scottish Government scheme backed by the Scottish Futures Trust to deliver affordable housing at a mid-market rent working together with local developers.

Commenting, Shadow Leader of the Council and SNP Group Leader Cllr Hamish Vernal said:

“The Scottish Futures Trust was brought in by the SNP Government to replace the discredited PFI (Private Finance Initiative) scheme which was brought in by the Conservatives in the 1990s and continued by the Labour/Lib Dem Scottish Executive and succeeded mainly in delivering fat profits for the private sector at the expense of the taxpayer.

“This scheme allows the council access to new streams of funding which it wouldn’t normally be able to do in an effort to address the housing situation in the North-east and I very much welcome it.”

Shadow Chair of the Social Work & Housing Committee Cllr Anne Allan said:

“With around 11,000 people on the waiting list for a council house and the housing stock having been greatly reduced as a result of the right-to-buy legislation, a radical new approach is needed to tackling the problem of a lack of affordable housing in Aberdeenshire.

“Thanks to the SNP Government making funding available, we’ve seen the first new council houses built in Aberdeenshire for decades. While this is welcome, there is more to be done and I’m pleased that the Scottish Futures Trust as a taxpayer-friendly body is on board with this.”