From Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply published today, we see that Scotland’s local authorities built 1 707 council houses in 2025, down 17 from the previous year but up by nearly 600 on 1 123, ten years before, in 2016.¹

All things being equal and now two years into a Labour government, you might expect England to be building around 17 00.

Hmm, no, just 2 850, only a sixth of the level in Scotland.²

They have ‘beaten’ Scotland on one thing though. Scotland sold no council houses because Thatcher’s right to buy legislation is long gone here.

In England, having built 2 850 council houses, they, a Labour Government, then sold 18 500 in the same year.³ That’ll not help.

While we’re here, how many did Scottish Labour built in 2005/2006?

That’d be 6. Yes, SIX. A 300th of the SNP figure for 2025.

Sources:

1. https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/
2. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/20/england-to-sell-eight-times-the-council-homes-it-built-last-year-report-finds
3. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/20/england-to-sell-eight-times-the-council-homes-it-built-last-year-report-finds