In response to a Written Question submitted by Kenneth Gibson MSP, Housing and Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart MSP confirmed that the SNP Government has allocated £14.165 million to North Ayrshire Council in Resource Planning Assumptions (RPA). This will help fund 158 new council houses this year.
RPAs provide councils with the financial certainty they need to implement plans to meet their housing priorities. Over the next three years 701 new council houses will be completed in North Ayrshire. To help deliver this, the SNP Government will allocate £15.003 million in 2019/20 and £16.007 million in 2020/21.
Since the SNP Government Council House Build Programme was introduced in April 2009, with the aim of incentivising local authorities to build new homes, 244 new council houses have already been built in North Ayrshire, with a total investment of £16.025 million from the SNP Government, an average grant of £65,676 per house.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe, warm and affordable home, and that principal is central to the SNP Government’s drive to make this country fairer and more prosperous. After years of neglect under Labour, council housing is again being built across Scotland, providing modern, comfortable homes and creating and sustaining jobs here in North Ayrshire and throughout the country.
“Of course, between 2003 and 2007, the Labour/Lib Dem Coalition who were in power built only six council houses in Scotland. All in Shetland!
“By comparison, across Scotland, the SNP Government met its target of building 30,000 affordable homes by 2016 in October 2015.
“We have set ourselves a target of building a least 50,000 new affordable homes across Scotland during this 2016-2021 Parliament and this investment in North Ayrshire of £45,175 million over three years will help deliver on that commitment and improve the quality and quantity of housing stock for the people and communities of North Ayrshire.”
ENDS
