Affordable Housing Supply Programme: out-turn report 2021-2022

Forms, locations and types of housing

Forms of housing

Tables 12 (a), (b) and (c) showing Forms of housing funding for social and other affordable homes for Approvals, Site Starts and Completion are within the Annex.

Definitions of New Build, Off the Shelf and Rehab are within the Glossary.

Location of housing

Tables 13 (a) and (b) showing Completions and Expenditure by location are within the Annex.

Definitions of Local Programmes and Central Programmes are within the Glossary.

The Scottish Government use the 6 Fold Urban Rural Classification when categorising homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), based on information provided by AHSP grant applicants.  The postcode information is checked using the National Registers of Scotland Scottish Postcode Directory.  

Table 14 (a) showing AHSP Approvals, Site Starts, Completions and Expenditure on Islands for 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 , 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 is within the Annex.

All homes and spend in Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Orkney and Shetland and homes and spend on islands within the Argyll and Bute, Highlands and North Ayrshire Local Authorities for 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 , 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22.  

It should be noted that due to the nature of grant funding provided through the AHSP there is no direct correlation between homes delivered and spend in each year. Spend and homes delivered through the OMSE and RIHF programme have also been included.

Table 14 (b) showing AHSP Approvals, Site Starts, Completions and Expenditure on Islands by Programme for 2021-22 is within the Annex.

Accessible homes

The Scottish Government wants disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens and we are working with local authorities to implement this through our investment.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) continues to support the delivery of flexible, adaptable housing to meet people’s needs as they change where local authorities have included these in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans. Wherever possible, all homes are built to Housing for Varying Needs Standards (HfVN). The grant subsidy arrangements for the AHSP are sufficiently flexible to support the development of specialist housing identified by local authorities as a priority, helping disabled people live independently in their own homes, and older people to stay at home for longer.

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to prepare a Local Housing Strategy (LHS).  In guidance to support local authorities with preparing a LHS local authorities are required to demonstrate that consideration has been given to the specialist provision requirements for those of all ages, in all types of household, across all tenures, including disabled people and people with high support needs currently either in long term care in hospital or out of area placement, those discharged from hospital or a similar institution.  The guidance also requires local authorities to include information in a LHS on what target it has set for delivery of wheelchair accessible housing across all tenures in the local authority area.  Priorities and outcomes identified in a LHS help inform local authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans which set out the key strategic affordable housing investment priorities over a five year period.

Table 15 (a) in the Annex shows that 1,315 homes were specifically provided for older people or disabled people including 359 identified as specifically for wheelchair users.  

Table 15 (b) in the Annex shows the completed homes for Wheelchair Users by Local Authority and Tenure.

Quality measures 

The programme delivered housing that can be accessed by the majority of the population and that is safe and secure to live in.  

Of the information returned, Tables 16 (a) and 16 (b) in the Annex show the percentage of RSL (rent & LCHO), new build*, council house new build and Mid market rent new build completions meeting the Housing for Varying Needs (HfVN) and Secured by Design (SBD) during 2021-22.

* From 2018-19 the classification of new build has been updated to include new build off the shelf properties, the latter were previously classified as off the shelf properties thus excluded from the figures.

Enhancing energy efficiency

Within the AHSP there exists a strong focus on enhancing energy efficiency.  The current set of affordable housing investment benchmarks therefore includes provision for delivering homes to Section 7, Silver Level, of the 2019 Building Regulations in respect of Energy for Space Heating (that is, full Bronze Level plus Aspect 2 of Silver Level).  

Of the information returned Table 17 in the Annex shows the percentage of RSL (rent & Mid market rent) and council house social rent approvals which met this standard.

Grant recipients  

Tables 18 (a) and 18 (b) in the Annex show the RSLs and councils in receipt of grant during 2021-22.  It excludes Home Owners’ Support Fund (HOSF) and Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) where recipients are individuals.  

Tables 19 (a) and 19 (b) in the Annex show other grant recipients including Partnership Support for Regeneration (PSR) and Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) Grant.