Highlands and Islands Labour MSP raises shocking track record of SNP Government house building in rural areas in Scottish Parliament .
The Scottish housing crisis was centre stage at a Scottish Labour Debate yesterday in the Scottish Parliament and Rhoda Grant MSP focused her contribution on rural housing.
In a powerful, wide ranging speech Mrs Grant stated that employers in the Highlands and Islands cannot recruit because of the lack of housing – including the NHS. The loss of the Gaelic language is getting worst because young speakers are leaving the area because they cannot find a home.
She then went on to state that the Scottish Government have only built 3,219 rural affordable homes in the Highlands and Islands (including Moray) since 2017, information which she obtained through Freedom of Information.
She then urged the Scottish Government to evaluate their rural homes definition as currently, homes in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and commuter towns outside Glasgow and Edinburgh area included in the definition. She then described that this disadvantages rural areas as the demand in urban areas is higher plus house building is cheaper there.
In her speech she said: “My point is, it is deceptive to include city areas in rural housing targets and then [for the SNP Government] to pat themselves on the back for building rural homes in city locations. Its simply not right.”
