Pledge: SNP says it will deliver 6,000 affordable homes per annum Pic: © STV
The SNP is facing pressure over its handling of the housing budget and the length of waiting lists for rented accommodation, amid accusations the party "backtracked" on a manifesto pledge.
Scottish Labour said the Scottish Government has cut the housing budget by 40%, while the Scottish Conservatives said ministers are missing targets.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats obtained figures showing that more than 120,000 housing applicants have been on local authority waiting lists for over a year. The figures, as of October 2011, also show that more than 81,000 have been stuck on waiting lists for over two years.
Lib Dem housing spokesman Jim Hume wants the SNP to recommit to a pledge to build 6,000 socially rented homes each year. He said: "It is clear that Scotland's housing crisis requires urgent action from the Scottish Government. With over 81,000 households stuck on local authority waiting lists for over two years, ministers need to focus on building more homes for social rent so that these families can finally access a home. It has been hugely disappointing to see the Scottish Government move away from its manifesto commitment to build 6,000 socially rented homes each year, replacing it with homes that require an element of purchase. There has been growing anger at the backtracking by ministers over recent months."
Edinburgh has the longest housing application waiting lists of the councils that responded to the freedom of information request. More than 10,000 applicants have been waiting for over two years while the city council deals with 25,522 in total. Of the 32 authorities asked, six - including Glasgow, Inverclyde and the Borders - were unable to provide information as they had transferred their housing stock.
The Lib Dems said the UK Government has made an extra £400m available for the Scottish Budget since the draft was published in September. Mr Hume added: "SNP ministers now have funds available that will help deliver their own commitment to 6,000 new homes for rent each year and we are calling for them to recommit to this pledge. The approaching 2012 homelessness target brings the need for more socially rented homes into even sharper focus. If the SNP Government does not make the right choices on housing it is clear that thousands of families will be left on housing lists for many more years."
Housing Minister Keith Brown said the Scottish Government's capital budget was being cut by one third by the UK Government. "Through our emphasis on innovation and on levering in more resources, we are making each Scottish Government pound deliver much more than before," he said. "That is the key to supporting the construction industry and hard-pressed families in these challenging times."
Mr Brown said the Government was on track to deliver more than 6,000 affordable homes each year, of which more than 4,000 will be social homes. "That is a higher rate of affordable housing, and a comparable rate of social housing, than was achieved by the previous administration during the boom years," he said.
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