Scotland's Housing Emergency and Local Delivery: tackling need, supply, homelessness and place

Tuesday 01st December 2026

Scotland’s housing emergency is now a delivery pressure for every council and many public sector partners. Local authorities are challenged to respond amid a bewildering context. Rising homelessness, soaring housing need, acute affordability pressures, distinct rural and island challenges, child poverty need, restrictive planning constraints, and regeneration demand. An expectation too that empty homes, short-term lets and equalities delivery will also be addressed in the face of limited public finances. The question is, can we connect all of these themes in a way that is genuinely deliverable, affordable and swiftly available?

This conference will examine what the Scottish Government's March 2026 Local Housing Strategy guidance means in practice. The guidance sets out the framework local authorities and partners must use to prepare Local Housing Strategies. Its contents are specific and prescriptive. Equalities, rural and island housing, planning alignment, eradicating child poverty, homelessness, regeneration, empty homes, second homes, short-term lets and community need are all included. 

Rather than treating housing strategy as a planning document alone, the conference will discuss it as a delivery tool. The day will examine whether and how we can achieve reductions in unsuitable temporary accommodation, better align land and planning decisions, improving affordable housing supply, tackle private rented sector pressure and link housing to health, poverty and local economic resilience.

Bringing together councils, housing associations, homelessness services, planners, regulators, advice agencies, developers, public health, social care, community partners and housing specialists, the conference will help delegates assess how to turn local housing strategies into deliverable priorities for people and places.

This online conference will focus on three themes:

• Housing strategy after the emergency
• Supply, affordability and local systems
• Housing as public service reform

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Topics the conference will explore

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• Understanding housing strategy after the emergency
• Focussing on moving from national housing emergency to local strategy
• Embedding understanding of homelessness prevention and temporary accommodation
• Hearing about Local Housing Strategies - what makes a good plan?
• Taking action on supply, affordability and local systems
• Addressing affordable housing supply, land and planning alignment
• Discussing private rented sector, rent control and affordability
• Considering housing as public service reform
• Targeting outcomes in rural, island and community housing
• Planning for housing, child poverty and health

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Who should attend?

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This conference will be relevant to:

• local authority housing strategy teams
• homelessness and temporary accommodation services
• housing associations and registered social landlords
• housing developers and house builders
• council planning, regeneration and place teams
• affordable housing supply and development professionals
• private rented sector
• rent policy and enforcement leads
• public health, social care and community planning partners
• child poverty and anti-poverty leads
• rural, island and community housing organisations
• empty homes, second homes and short-term lets policy teams
• advice agencies and homelessness prevention services
• legal, property and housing finance professionals
• elected members, board members and senior officers responsible for housing, planning, poverty, place or community wellbeing

Speakers