SCOTTISH Labour slammed the SNP government today for “sitting on its hands” as the housing crisis deepens, a year on since declaring a national emergency.

Despite a string of councils declaring housing emergencies, then first minister Humza Yousaf defeated Labour's calls for a national declaration in November 2023.

Just months later, however, after he left office amid the collapse of the SNP-Green coalition, his successor John Swinney, facing an embarrassing Holyrood defeat, declared a national housing emergency in May 2024.

But the declaration has had little effect on the ongoing housing crisis, with Scottish government figures released in March showing numbers of children in temporary accommodation, already at record levels, increasing still further.

Rents and mortgage payments also grew at twice the rate of inflation in Scotland last year, and both starts and completions of new-builds fell between 2023 and 2024.

Scottish Labour’s housing spokesman Mark Griffin has called for Housing Minister Paul McLennan to appear before MSPs and face questioning on his actions to curb the crisis over the past year and how he intends to tackle it going forward.

Mr Griffin said: “It’s been one year since a national housing emergency was declared in Scotland, but things are getting worse instead of better on the SNP’s watch.

“The truth is the Housing Minister declared a housing emergency then sat on his hands while it deepened.

“Time and time again the SNP has opted for empty rhetoric in place of meaningful action, and it is destroying trust in politics.

“The minister owes it to the people suffering the consequences of his government’s housing emergency to take accountability and answer questions on this important issue.”

Mr McLennan hit back: “We are determined to tackle the housing emergency and ensure that everyone in Scotland can have somewhere to call home. 

“We have a strong track record in delivering affordable homes with 136,000 affordable homes delivered, with 97,000 of those for social rent, between 2007 and the end of December 2024. 

“We are investing £768 million in affordable housing this year, including £40m targeted to the local authorities with sustained temporary accommodation pressures.

“We are determined to deliver 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032, with at least 70 per cent for social rent.”