Speaking to delegates from across the housing and public policy sectors in Glasgow, Mr Swinney is expected to outline his vision for tackling Scotland’s deepening housing crisis and delivering long-term stability for the sector.

In his first major speech on housing since taking office, the First Minister will reiterate the Scottish Government’s commitment to affordable homes, particularly those for social rent, and urge Westminster to match this commitment with concrete support. His comments come as Scotland continues to grapple with a shortage of affordable homes, rising homelessness, and mounting pressures on local authorities and housing providers.

Ahead of the conference, the First Minister said: “Scotland faces a housing crisis which is why we are investing £768 million in affordable housing in 2025-26, the majority of which will be for social rent. This includes up to £40m for acquisitions, to help reduce the number of homeless households, especially with children, in temporary accommodation.”

Emphasising the importance of long-term financial planning, Mr Swinney added: “We are keenly aware of the benefits of providing multi-year spending plans to our partners and want to provide this stability across the public sector. We continue to call on the UK Government to provide multi-year funding for housing to give developers and third sector organisations long-term certainty.”

The First Minister is also expected to press for reforms to Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which determines how much support private renters can receive through the benefits system. LHA rates have been frozen in recent years despite rising private rents, pushing more low-income households into financial hardship.

“The UK Government must also commit to unfreezing Local Housing Allowance rates,” he said. “These rates set the amount that private renters receive to help with rent. Increasing these rates can be a key lever that can help protect tenants. Repegging these rates to the 30th percentile of local rents would mean greater security for many households across Scotland.”