Can Scotland’s final pre‑election Budget really unlock first-time buyers’ dreams?
First-time buyer support and clearer treatment of small landlords should be at the top of the Scottish Government’s housing agenda as Shona Robison prepares to deliver a politically charged final Budget, according to one Scotland-based broker.
Alan Mackenzie, director at Your Next Step, said the withdrawal of flagship schemes has left a real gap for aspiring homeowners who don’t have family wealth behind them.
“Support for first-time buyers would make the biggest difference for my clients,” he said. “Schemes such as the First Home Fund and Help to Buy were very successful and are sorely missed, as many people still need to rely on the bank of mum and dad to get a deposit together.”
His comments come as Robison readies what will be her last Budget before stepping down from both government and the Scottish Parliament.
She will have to balance those calls for targeted housing support against some of the toughest fiscal constraints Holyrood has faced in years. The Scottish Fiscal Commission has warned that spending commitments are set to outstrip available funds by £4.7bn within four years.
Day‑to‑day spending is described as “still tight”, even if short‑term pressures have eased somewhat, while capital budgets are under intense strain, with the current pipeline of projects expected to cost around £8.1bn next year against only about £7.1bn available. The government is expected to publish a new Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline and Infrastructure Strategy alongside the Budget to reset priorities for big-ticket schemes.
Against that backdrop, Mackenzie believes relatively focused interventions could still move the dial for buyers and investors.
On the landlord side, he flagged the impact of the additional dwelling supplement (ADS), particularly for smaller players entering the limited company buy-to-let market.
“For landlords, the additional dwelling supplement creates a lot of uncertainty, so any relief here, particularly for first-time limited company buy-to-let investors, would be very welcome,” he said.
With ministers also under pressure from local authorities, homelessness charities and housebuilders to reverse cuts to the housing budget, any changes to ADS or fresh help for first-time buyers will have to compete with a long list of demands from other sectors.
Despite the noise around Holyrood’s finances and looming elections, Mackenzie said most of his clients are not fixated on the Budget details – and sentiment on the ground may be improving from last year’s lows.
“Overall, we’re not seeing clients overly concerned about the Scottish Budget itself; most of the nervousness came from last year’s announcements down south,” he noted. “This January has been our busiest for a long time, which hopefully suggests people are ready to move on with their lives and their homes.”
For brokers like Mackenzie, the hope is that Robison can use her final Budget to give a clearer pathway for first-time buyers and responsible landlords, even as she wrestles with an “unsustainable” long‑term fiscal outlook.
