OVER 1,300 NEW COUNCIL HOUSES FOR SCOTLAND

OVER 1,300 NEW COUNCIL HOUSES FOR SCOTLAND

SNP GOVERNMENT INVESTS £26 MILLION IN NEW SOCIAL HOUSING

Central Scotland SNP MSP John Wilson – a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee – has welcomed the news that the SNP Government is to invest £26 million to build over 1,300 new council houses across Scotland and hailed it as a great investment to help secure jobs and expand social housing during the present recession.

The new council houses are part of a package which will see 1,343 new council homes built in Scotland this year. The package underpins the largest council house building programme for 30 years and is expected to support 3,000 jobs. The investment contrasts with the record of the previous Labour/LibDem Executive which only built 6 council houses in their last four years in office.

Commenting Mr Wilson said:

“This is great news and shows how the SNP Government is delivering what is needed in these difficult economic times.

“These new council homes will go some way to protect and create jobs in the construction sector as well as provide much needed social housing in what are difficult economic times.

“I am particularly pleased because the Scottish Government is investing £3,475,000 in Lanarkshire to build 139 new council houses. It certainly undermines claims by Labour politicians about investment in Lanarkshire.

“The SNP Government has been a welcome breath of fresh air to address the issue of social housing in Scotland. In these hard economic times the provision of thousands of new council houses shows the SNP is serious about boosting jobs in the construction industry as well as providing new homes.

“What is particularly stark is that in Lanarkshire alone the SNP Government is delivering more houses than the previous Labour/LibDem Executive built in all of Scotland over the last four years they were in power. Their 6 houses over 4 years is dwarfed by the 139 new council homes for Lanarkshire.

“Affordable good quality housing is essential and Scotland has what it takes to is deliver better housing across Scotland.”