The Scottish Tories have proposed a £250million national fund to convert long-term empty properties into affordable homes to help tackle the housing crisis.

The plan would bring around 7,400 vacant homes and commercial premises back into use over four years at an annual cost to the Scottish Government of £64m.   

The policy will be formally launched at this weekend’s Scottish Tory conference in Aberdeen.

Three of Scotland’s 32 councils have declared a housing emergency in the past year.

Argyll & Bute, Glasgow and Edinburgh said the move reflected extreme pressure on the housing supply in their local areas.

Almost 10,000 children were stuck in temporary accommodation Scotland-wide last year, and 100,000 of the 300,000 people waiting on a social housing list were children.

However, in a widely-criticised move, the Scottish Government’s budget for 2024/25 cut almost £200m from the affordable housebuilding supply programme.

Humza Yousaf has promised to prioritise the programme if Chancellor Jeremy Hunt gives Holyrood the appropriate finance in his spring statement next week.

The homelessness charity Crisis recently proposed creating a “national flexible fund” to enable councils and partner bodies to lease or buy long-term empty properties - both homes and commercial sites - for retro-fitting into affordable housing.

They estimated around one in six long-term empty properties in England could be revived under the plan, meaning up to 40,000 homes over four years at a cost of £1.4bn.

The Scottish Tories say the plan should be adopted at Holyrood, and that if done on an equivalent scale 7,400 properties could be converted for a total cost of £255m.

Tory housing spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said: “Scotland is facing a housing emergency, yet the SNP-Green Scottish Government have failed to take action, leaving thousands of vulnerable people to suffer the consequences of Ministers’ incompetence.

“We need to see fresh thinking and new ideas to help develop solutions.

“That is why the Scottish Conservatives are proposing the establishment of a national fund to provide councils and individuals with funding to help bring empty properties across Scotland back into the rented sector to help tackle the growing housing shortage.

“The SNP’s brutal cuts to both the housing budget and council funding has hindered local authorities’ ability to help get people into safe and permanent homes. 

“This fund would enable councils and private individuals to get empty properties up to standard and increase the stock of available housing. It’s a win-win policy.”

Responding for the SNP, MSP Stuart McMillan said: "At a time when the Tories have crashed the economy and slashed public spending it is rich for them to be bringing forward new spending plans. 

"Under the SNP Government since 2007 almost 130,000 affordable and social homes have been completed, including a record 10,462 in 2023 - and we are well on our way to meeting our target of 110,000 more by 2032.

“Tackling empty homes however is also a priority for the SNP which is why we continue to fund the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which since 2010 has helped to bring more than 9,000 homes back into use. 

"Local authorities have also been given a wealth of different tools to tackle this issue including through taxation, compulsory purchase orders and enforcement powers. It is for them to make best use of those powers."