Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton Constituency, has accused the SNP of “hiding behind the pandemic” as new figures confirm that it missed the last parliament’s affordable housing target by 7,000.

In the 2016 election, the SNP promised to deliver 50,000 affordable homes over the next term – however, new figures confirm that it fell short by almost 15%, delivering less than 43,000 in that time.

The SNP had already conceded that it was unlikely to meet its own target, blaming the pandemic for this failure.

However, figures show that it was never on track to meet this target, having built little over 30,000 by the end of 2019 – leaving just eighteen months to build the rest.

Jackie Baillie MSP said:

“These dismal figures are the result of years of incompetence – not months of paused construction.

“Building more affordable houses is key to tackling Scotland’s ever-growing housing and poverty crisis. Getting things back on track is essential and the government need to set out a real plan on how they’ll do this.

“The SNP must stop hiding behind the pandemic and take responsibility for their failure. We need solutions – not excuses.”