Conference notes:

1. That housing waiting lists across much of Scotland far exceed existing targets to build more affordable homes;
2. That the shortage of adequate affordable housing is a major contributor to multiple deprivation and a significant constraint on sustainable economic growth;
3. The progress made by Liberal Democrats in Government in Scotland in developing an effective affordable housing strategy for 21st Century Scotland, and in particular the £1.2bn investment over 2005-08 to provide more affordable housing stock and the upgrading of the quality of housing stock.
4. Scottish Liberal Democrat proposals to deliver 27,000 new affordable homes during the period of the current Spending Review;
5. The omission of any target for affordable house building from the Scottish Government's recent budget document, and the later emergence of an 'aspiration' to build just 21,500 new affordable homes;
6. The publication of the Scottish Government’s Housing strategy document with its move away from community-based housing providers;
7. That shortage of suitable land, lack of infrastructure and the planning system often act as barriers to housing supply, as well as shortage of funding;
8. That some publicly owned land is retained in a vacant or derelict state;
9. That public bodies and local authorities are under pressure to achieve maximum financial return in disposing of any surplus land.

Conference believes:

1. That increasing affordable housing supply should be an urgent priority for the Scottish Government.
2. That publicly owned land is an asset which could be used to help meet housing needs;
3. That consideration of 'best value' for the taxpayer should take account of local housing needs as well as crude financial returns;
4. That the planning system should be used to accelerate the supply of affordable homes rather than to obstruct it and that Scottish Water must meet its obligations to build water and sewage infrastructure to support affordable housing in remote and rural parts of Scotland;
5. That a pragmatic approach to housing is required including options to empower local communities to lead regeneration of their areas through community-based Housing Associations, whole and partial stock transfer, local authority provision, Arms Length Management Organisations and the introduction by the UK Government of a ‘Fourth Option’ for the management of social housing, putting local authorities on a level playing field for social landlords when refurbishing housing stock.

Conference calls for:

1. All public bodies and local authorities to give formal consideration to sale below market value for affordable housing development before disposing of any surplus land on the open market;
2. All public bodies and local authorities to submit a report for approval by Scottish Ministers once every 5 years detailing the use of their land and any surplus which can be disposed of;
3. The Scottish Ministers to require all local authorities to submit a housing policy for approval setting the proportion of developments over a certain size which should be affordable within each defined community;
4. Calls for all local authorities to undertake an assessment of the need for affordable housing in each settlement to set the minimum required percentage of affordable housing in new developments;
5. The SNP Government to commit to a target of at least 27,000 homes by April 2011 and to seek to exceed that target by making efficient use of publicly owned land;>/li>
6. The expansion of existing shared equity schemes and provision made for Community Land Trusts which reinvest profits from house sales back into the property to act as a subsidy to the next household;
7. The rejection of Government plans to emasculate community based HousingAssociations as proposed in Firm Foundations;