Affordable Housing Supply Programme: out-turn report - 2023 to 2024

Tenure, forms, locations, and types of housing 

All of the tables can be accessed via the supporting accessible Excel document.

Definitions are within the glossary for new build, off the shelf, local programmes and central programmes.

Tenure, forms and location of housing

Tables 14 (a), (b) and (c) outline the tenure, form and location of homes funded by the AHSP in financial year 2023 to 2024 for approvals, site starts and completions by Local Authority Area.

The Scottish Government use the Six 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 Records of Scotland (NRS) Scottish postcode directory available at the time of tables being produced.

The Scottish Government intends to maintain the current Six Fold Urban/Rural classification classes four (remote small towns), five (accessible rural) and six (remote rural) to define affordable homes delivered in rural and island areas. The use of the Six Fold urban rural classification provides a consistent way of defining urban and rural areas across Scotland. It is reviewed periodically, and provides continuity in terms of reporting.

However, to address presentational issues of homes being delivered in accessible rural areas around cities, the Scottish Government will, from the start of the 110,000 affordable homes target period (23 March 2022), apply an additional layer using the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services definition of non-rural areas to exclude the local authority areas of Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow from affordable housing rural delivery figures.

This revised approach has been applied to all homes delivered in financial year 2023 to 2024.

Tables 15 (a) and 15 (b) show AHSP Completions and AHSP Expenditure by Urban Rural Classification. Tables 15 (c) and 15 (d) show AHSP Completions by location and Urban/Rural summary for 110,000 target.

Table 16 (a) shows AHSP Approvals, Site Starts, Completions and Expenditure on Islands between financial years 2016 to 2017 and 2023 to 2024. Table 16 (b) shows Approvals, Site Starts, Completions and Expenditure on Islands by Programme for financial year 2023 to 2024. This includes all homes and expenditure in na Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Orkney and Shetland and homes and expenditure on islands within the Argyll and Bute, Highlands, and North Ayrshire Local Authority areas. 

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. Expenditure and homes delivered through the Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) and Rural and Islands Housing Fund (RIHF) programmes have also been included.

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) grant subsidy arrangements are sufficiently flexible to support the delivery 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. All affordable homes are expected to be built to housing for varying needs standard, wherever possible.

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to prepare a Local Housing Strategy (LHS) setting out its policies and priorities for housing locally. In preparing a LHS, local authorities are expected to demonstrate that consideration has been given to the housing requirements of people of all ages, in all types of household, across all tenures. This includes disabled people including those 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 set a target for the delivery of wheelchair accessible housing across all tenures in the local authority area.

Table 17 (a) shows that 1,506 affordable homes provided in financial year 2023 to 2024 were specialist homes for older people, disabled people and those with other particular needs. This includes 404 affordable homes for wheelchair users (including older wheelchair users). Table 17 (b) shows affordable housing for large families. Table 17 (c) shows the completed affordable homes for wheelchair users in Table 17 (a) by Local Authority, tenure and provision.

Quality measures

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

Of the information returned, Tables 18 (a) and 18 (b) show the percentage of Registered Social Landlord (RSL) (rent and Low Cost Home Ownership (LCHO); new build (from 2018 to 2019 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); Council House New Build and Mid Market Rent new build completions meeting the Housing for Varying Needs (HfVN) and applied for Secured by Design (SBD) accreditation during financial year 2023 to 2024.

Enhancing energy efficiency

Within the AHSP there exists a strong focus on enhancing energy efficiency.   

Of the information returned, Table 19 shows the percentage of new build grant funded affordable home approvals which planned to deliver section seven, 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).

Grant recipients 

Tables 20 (a) and 21 (a) show the Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and councils in receipt of grant for Council House delivery during financial year 2023 to 2024. They exclude Home Owners’ Support Fund (HOSF) and Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) where recipients are individuals.

Tables 20 (b), (c) and (d) show approvals, site starts and completions by RSLs/Subsidiaries in receipt of grant. Tables 21 (b), (c) and (d) show approvals, site starts and completions by Councils in receipt of grant for Council House delivery.

Tables 22 (a) and 22 (b) show other grant recipients including Partnership Support for Regeneration (PSR) and Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) Grant.