The Border Telegraph reports at a meeting last week the council’s executive committee discussed a five-year strategy to build over 1,300 affordable homes at an estimated investment value of £268 million over the period. The new strategic housing investment plan (SHIP) was welcomed by the committee members and acknowledged as highly ambitious.

However, Euan Jardine, the committee leader and conservative councillor for Galashiels & District, raised concerns on the negative perception around affordable housing and the tenants living in them.

He said: “I feel there is still a stigma around affordable homes and I think that it is really something that we need to do a bit of work on because my email is quite often filled with comments from people when there’s a new Eildon Housing development or Waverley Housing development.

“I get people saying, ‘We don’t want this’. It’s that stigma and I wonder if there is some work that can be done by the council to try and stop that stigma to demonstrate that the people moving into these affordable homes are actually great people. How do we stop that stigma?”

Donna Bogdanovic, the council’s head of housing strategy and development, acknowledged the validity of Mr Jardine’s concerns. She responded: “I do think there is still some negative perceptions about affordable homes and the people who live in affordable homes.

“It’s something myself and the housing associations have recognised and I think there are some things we can do collaboratively to address that.”

Mr Jardine added: “I’m in Galashiels and Galashiels has had an abundance of new affordable homes over the past few years, and there’s a few lessons we can learn from that.

“We found that we built the homes and then the infrastructure around the homes is delayed and I’m currently chasing bus stops that were meant to be implemented and then people complain about parking, so it’s about getting that right.”