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 the year to the end of June 2024.

Social sector completions (5,053) in the year to the end of June 2024 were down 25% (-1,649 homes) from the previous year. There were 3,501 starts in the social sector down 5% (-199 homes) from the year before. Completions were the lowest since the year to end of June 2018 (excluding 2020 where Covid-19 impacted housebuilding) and starts the lowest since the year to end of June 2013.

Chart 3: Between 2023 and 2024 (year ending June) there were decreases in both housing association and local authority starts and completions.

Chart 3 shows the number of local authority and housing association homes started and completed each year since 2009 (year to end of June). In the year to the end of June 2024 there were 1,573 local authority led completions and 1,295 starts. There were 3,480 housing association led completions and 2,206 starts.

Between 2023 and 2024 (the year to the end of June) there were decreases in housing association completions (-26%, -1,251 homes), local authority completions (-20%, -398 homes), housing association starts (-2%, -47 homes) and local authority led starts (-11% -152 homes).

Maps C and D below show the rates of housing association and local authority new build completions in each local authority area for the year to the end of June 2024 per 10,000 of the population.

Map C: New build housing – local authority completions: rates per 10,000 population, in the year to the end of June 2024.

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

Seven local authorities built no homes in the year to the end of June 2024 (Angus, Clackmannanshire, East Dunbartonshire, Orkney Islands, South Lanarkshire, 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).

Note: Local authority 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 completions: rates per 10,000 population, in the year to the end of June 2024.

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).

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.