All parties need positive, dynamic housing policies for the coming election

The coming year could not be more important for Scotland and the housing sector. The Scottish elections in May will determine the future direction for the country and how well our economy, and consequently, the property market will perform over the next five years.

It is essential that all of the parties contesting seats in May ensure they have a positive, dynamic and functioning housing policy which will start to address the current emergency facing the sector by encouraging growth in new housing; greater investment in the private rented sector; and an enormous boost to the number of social houses being built.

A couple of decades ago most parties had a limited number of key policies which were related to housing, jobs, health, education, and the economy. The parties would concentrate their efforts on these major policy areas to ensure that people had a home, work, remain healthy, and have their children educated in a country with a sound economic future.

To ensure Scots have the homes they need it is vital that voters are offered housing policies which address shortages now, and in the future, if the current housing emergency is to be effectively resolved.

Prior to the May elections, of course, we have the Scottish Budget which will be delivered on January 13. This is a chance for the incumbent SNP government to set out a strategy for the next five years which must, among other policies, address the key issues facing the housing sector.

There is an opportunity, given the increase in taxation on landlords and property investors income announced in the recent Westminster budget, to not match this increase to make Scotland a more attractive place for individuals and businesses to invest in the private rented sector (PRS). This, although it may sound counter-intuitive to some, could result in higher revenues by attracting greater investment and more supply in the Scottish market. It is certainly worth considering if Scotland is to continue to attract essential investors into the property market.

But a key aim for politicians seeking to address the key housing issues is to build tens of thousands more social houses to reduce the waiting list and to address the record levels of homelessness in Scotland. As part of this it is vital to understand that a strong private rented sector (PRS) remains key to attracting people to live and work in Scotland in major growth centres like the Central Belt where demand continues to outstrip supply.

Encouraging much more housebuilding would surely be positive producing economic growth which, in turn, create jobs, good incomes, and more homes to drive up GDP. There needs to be a greater engagement and involvement of those directly involved in the property sector alongside the people producing the strategic policies. There also needs to be a shift away from the limited five-year electoral cycle of decision-making to a system which sees housing in a ten-to-fifteen-year timeframe which encourages continuous, strong, and organised growth to meet demand. The historic stop-start policies of the electoral cycle have failed the sector for decades and change must come if we are to address the immediate and future needs of the housing sector in Scotland.