The Chartered Institute of Building has urged the new Scottish Government to work closely with the construction sector to deliver key manifesto pledges following the outcome of the 2026 Holyrood election.
The body said Scotland faces “profound, intertwined challenges”, including the housing emergency and climate change targets, which cannot be addressed without a strong and stable construction industry.
Dr Jocelyne Fleming, Scottish policy and public affairs lead at CIOB, said the new parliamentary term presented an opportunity to strengthen relationships with policymakers and help deliver commitments made during the election campaign.
These include plans to establish a national housing agency, More Homes Scotland, create a single national skills plan, reform the planning system and increase apprenticeship numbers to 150,000 over the parliamentary term.
However, Fleming warned that ministers and industry must remain realistic about the pressures facing construction, including skills shortages in critical roles and what she described as a “crowded and quickly changing policy and regulatory landscape”.
She said CIOB’s pre-election manifesto had called on the next Scottish Government to move beyond “fragmented policy interventions” and instead adopt a “cross-portfolio, whole-system approach” to housing supply, retrofit, skills and building safety.
Fleming added that policy stability would be essential for the sector and urged ministers to work “in tandem with industry” to ensure long-term consistency in decision-making.
She also called on the Scottish Government to engage with the sector on issues including the proposed structure of More Homes Scotland and the Heat in Buildings Bill.
CIOB additionally backed a proposal put forward by the Scottish Greens for a demolition levy to help fund building safety and remediation works.
