LABOUR and the Conservatives have been competing on what they would do to address the housing crisis across the UK, with both parties making commitments to provide more housing. Whatever party leads the next UK government there is a promise of more money for the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government.

However, in Scotland we have quietly gone about our own housing revolution – 50,000 affordable homes, of which 35,000 are for social rent, are being built over the course of the Parliament. It is the biggest social-house-building programme in a generation.

With decades of under-provision and local authorities losing 500,000 homes through the right to buy since the 1980s, this is housing that is desperately needed by families and communities across the country.

Audit Scotland will soon report on the impact of the 50,000 homes programme and it is right that we can demonstrate value to the public purse. But we don’t need to wait for that account to understand the impact affordable house building has had across Scotland.

The anti-poverty charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation has reported that the scale of our social housing programme has been a significant factor in slowing down the rise of poverty in Scotland compared with England.

Industry body Homes for Scotland reported recently that four jobs are created for every new home built and that there are 80,000 jobs associated with home building in Scotland. And by matching the money provided by the Scottish Government, councils and housing associations are making a significant investment in the construction sector and demonstrating their role as a catalyst for public-private collaboration.

At a time when major infrastructure programmes face significant obstacles the success and deliverability of affordable housing is to be commended.

The Scottish Government estimate matching the 50,000 affordable homes target in the next parliament would cost £1bn more than the £3.3bn spent in this cycle. But this looks at housebuilding in the wrong way and ignores the fact that building social housing boosts tax revenues and supports economic growth but is one of the most important anti-poverty measures any Government can take.

We have tried letting the market address the housing crisis, but over the last 20 years we have seen the exponential growth of the private renting sector (PRS), with over 360,000 households living in it and a significant increase in house prices. Both the PRS and home ownership have a critical role to play in the housing system but the reality is we need more affordable housing where pressure is most acute.

With over 120,000 households across the country still on housing waiting lists and homelessness on the rise it is clear the resolution of Scotland’s housing crisis can’t be addressed by one Parliamentary cycle; the challenges are too great and require more than five years of targeted investment.

We need to look beyond a five-year target and consider affordable housing like any other infrastructure project and plan for investment over a 20 to 30-year period.

The current consideration of a long-term housing strategy from the Scottish Government is welcome but it needs resources and targets to make any impact on the housing market.

Come the aftermath of the General Election we must hold our parliamentarians to account and press for a long-term commitment so developers and social landlords can build the homes the country desperately needs. We need to make 2020 the year that we commit to a long-term affordable housing supply. Nothing less will meet the challenges of 21st century

Scotland.

Callum Chomczuk is director of the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland.