The Scottish Government has announced additional capital funding for councils in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee to buy vacant properties and accelerate affordable housebuilding amid severe pressure on urban rental markets.

The emergency package, unveiled by the First Minister following the declaration of a nationwide housing emergency, combines property purchases with support for faster construction. It therefore targets both existing buildings and the delivery of new affordable homes, rather than relying on housebuilding alone.

The announcement establishes the intervention’s broad approach, but the available details do not specify the funding total, how it will be divided between the three cities or how many homes it is expected to deliver.