The number of houses built in the first six months of this year is almost 2000 down on the same period last year.

Houses completed fell from around 13,000 to 11,000. The fall was worst in the private sector with 1,300 fewer houses but there was also a drop of almost 600 in the number of houses being built by housing associations.

Labour’s Housing spokesperson Mary Mulligan said:

“This clearly shows that the SNP’s housing policies have set Scotland’s house building programme into reverse. Whilst the fall in completions in the private sector may be partly attributed to global credit conditions, the drop in the number of housing association properties is the direct result of the disastrous policies of the SNP government.

ENDS

NOTES
Completions for first two quarters of 2008.
All sectors 11,102
Private – 9784
HA – 1292
LA – 26 

2007
All sectors 12.996
Private – 11,090
HA’s – 1878