Social Sector New Housebuilding

The social sector housing (local authority and housing association units combined) accounted for just over a quarter (26%) of all new build homes completed in 2023-24.

Social sector completions (5,043) in 2023-24 were down 27% (-1,876 homes) from 2022-23. There were 3,500 starts in the social sector down 14% (-580 homes) from the year before. Completions were the lowest since 2020-21 (where pandemic restrictions impacted house building) and starts since 2012-13.

Chart 3: In 2023-24 housing association starts were at the lowest since 2012-13 and local authority starts were at the lowest number since 2017-18. Housing association and local authority completions were the lowest since 2020-21.

Chart 3 shows the number of local authority and housing association homes started and completed each year since 2008-09. In 2023-24 there were 1,665 local authority led completions and 1,322 starts. There were 3,378 housing association led completions and 2,178 starts.

Between 2022-23 and 2023-24 there were decreases in housing association completions (-33%, -1,642 homes), local authority completions (-13%, -238 homes), housing association starts (-1%, -14 homes) and local authority led starts (-30% -566 homes).

Maps C and D below show the rates of housing association and local authority new build completions in each local authority area for 2023-24 per 10,000 of the population.

Map C: New build housing – Local Authority Sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, 2023-24.

Local authority sector new build rates were highest in East Lothian and Midlothian with all having rates of over 18 homes per 10,000 population.

Six local authorities built no homes in 2023-24 (Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and West Dunbartonshire). This excludes the 6 local authorities that transferred their stock to housing associations so do not build new local authority houses (Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Na h-Eileanan Siar and Scottish Borders). There were a further 16 authorities that built up to 6 homes per population in 2023-24.

Note: Local authority sector completion rates calculations contain estimated figures for Aberdeen City. More details are available in the Data and Methodology section.

Map D: New build housing – Housing Association Sector completions: rates per 10,000 population, 2023-24.

Meanwhile rates of housing association new build completions were highest in Argyll and Bute at over 24 homes per 10,000 population.

East Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire reported no housing association completions (as well as no local authority completions). Twenty local authorities all had a rate less than 8 housing association homes per 10,000 population.

The latest quarterly data and comparison to the corresponding quarter in the previous year are shown in the ‘Quarterly Comparisons’ section. Timeseries data along with local authority breakdowns are contained in the supporting Excel tables.