John Swinney has been told to build 25,000 new homes and "seize the opportunity” to kickstart economic growth in Scotland.
The First Minister has brought forward his annual programme for government to next month in a move giving SNP ministers a full year to implement legislative proposals ahead of next year’s crunch Holyrood election.
Ahead of the programme for government being published on May 6, CBI Scotland has called on Mr Swinney to “announce a target to deliver 25,000 new high-quality, energy efficient homes across all tenures per year”.
Just 19,797 new homes were built in 2024, an annual decrease of 7%.
The group has also called for SNP ministers to expedite the construction of electricity transmission infrastructure and streamline the grid connection process” as well as “publish the route map and fast-track funding to accelerate electric vehicle charging infrastructure expansion in line with 2030 targets”.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Programme for Government will continue to focus on the First Minister’s priorities of eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, improving public services such as our NHS and tackling the climate crisis.
“A major reform of the skills system to ensure it meets Scotland’s needs is already underway.”