Craig Stirrat

The Housing Crisis – it didn’t just happen! Years of lack of sufficient investment in the housing stock; matched by chronic under building to meet need; the loss of social housing through the Right to Buy; a growing mismatch of supply to demand; and planning constraints have all pushed up housing costs and higher rents.

This impacts everyone, especially the young, low-income families and vulnerable groups – creating public health, education and economic problems.

The Scottish Government’s response – the Housing to 2040 vision – is ambitious and aspirational, but like Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere”, it risks becoming a lyrical journey without a clear destination unless sharper delivery methods, measurable targets, and accountability mechanisms are built in.

Talking Heads’ Road to Nowhere is a song about movement without progress — an upbeat march that ultimately questions whether the journey has meaning. 

Scotland’s Housing to 2040 vision, published in 2021, sets out noble ambitions: warm, safe, affordable, energy-efficient homes in thriving communities…. Yet, much like the song’s refrain, the vision risks being “on the road to nowhere” if it remains a set of principles without concrete delivery pathways.

The Strengths of the Vision

• Holistic ambition: Tackles affordability, homelessness, fuel poverty, climate change, and inclusive growth.
• Long-term framing: A 20-year horizon encourages systemic thinking rather than short-term fixes 
• Community focus: Emphasises belonging, pride, and resilience in housing systems 

The Weaknesses – Where the Road Falters

• Lack of delivery clarity: The vision is heavy on aspiration but light on operational detail. 
• There are few binding commitments on how many homes will be built, refurbished, or retrofitted each year.
• Targets missing in action: Without numerical milestones (e.g., annual affordable housing completions, energy efficiency upgrades), progress cannot be tracked.
• Accountability gap: Responsibility is diffused across agencies, leaving uncertainty about who ensures delivery.
• Context mismatch: Scotland is currently facing a declared national (and local) housing emergency, with affordability worsening and homelessness rising. A visionary roadmap without urgent short-term interventions risks irrelevance.

Recommendations – Turning Vision into Action

1. Retain the position of a Cabinet Secretary after May 2026 elections, ensuring housing policy and sufficient funding is at the heart of making Scotland a fairer and healthier nation;
2. Support local authorities and social landlords by providing a clear focus on professionalisation and supporting housing practitioners to achieve the knowledge, skills and behaviour they need to deliver on the vision;
3. Set binding annual targets for affordable housing completions, retrofits, and homelessness reduction – prioritising funding based on need (the data is out there );
4. Publish delivery timetables with clear milestones (e.g., 16,000 new affordable homes per year) supported by stronger alignment with long-term funding and realistic benchmark funding subsidies;
5. Strengthen accountability by assigning lead responsibility to specific agencies (recognising cross boundary systemic issues) or councils;
6. Scottish Government advisory board to meet more regularly (we have an Emergency apparently!) to integrate short-term emergency measures alongside long-term goals, ensuring immediate relief for those in crisis;
7. Transparent reporting—annual progress reviews accessible to the public, avoiding the “road to nowhere” trap.

The 2026 Scottish Elections  – We have a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ opportunity

Let’s not sleepwalk through our housing crisis – and merely follow social & political expectations – lets actively move on from the illusion of radical change – and the stagnant inability to escape this cycle.

The Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 vision sings a hopeful tune, but without sharper delivery methods and measurable targets, it risks echoing Talking Heads’ satire: “We’re on a road to nowhere, come on inside.”

To avoid that fate, Scotland  must turn lyrical ambition into grounded, trackable action and the upcoming Parliamentary elections gives us that Once in a lifetime chance to finally and effectively tackle the housing crisis.