THE SNP government’s affordable housing pledge is a “sham” that will see numbers of new builds fall next year, according to Scottish Labour.

SNP finance secretary Shona Robison set out funding for 8,000 new affordable homes in her draft budget for 2025/26, the lowest number since 2016/17 outside of the Covid pandemic.

It comes after three years which have seen between 9,500 and 10,400 completions and the affordable home budget slashed by a staggering 26 per cent in last year’s budget.

The numbers leave the Scottish government short of the rate needed to deliver the 85,000 homes needed to meet its target of 110,000 by 2032 — a target civil servants have already warned is at risk.

Scottish Labour housing spokesman Mark Griffin said: “Labour’s record budget settlement has forced the SNP to reverse its brutal cuts to the affordable housing budget, but SNP ministers are still not showing the ambition needed to tackle Scotland’s housing emergency.

“The government’s pitiful budget commitment is in reality a promise to reduce the number of affordable homes being built.

“This sham of a housing pledge is another sign that the SNP has secretly given up on its pledge to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.”

SNP housing minister Paul McLennan said: “We have a strong track record in affordable housing, having supported the delivery of 135,000 affordable homes since 2007. 

“We want to ramp up that delivery by increasing the affordable housing supply budget to £768 million next year.

“This investment will help tackle the housing emergency while contributing towards our target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.”