A shortage of suitable housing is forcing people to turn down jobs or delay starting work in Orkney, raising concerns about the impact on vital public services across the islands.
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur has called for action after reports from NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council highlighted the growing difficulty of finding homes for people recruited to key roles.
The issue was raised with Housing Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville during portfolio questions at the Scottish Parliament.
Mr McArthur told the Housing Secretary that a lack of available accommodation is now affecting recruitment, with some successful applicants unable to take up positions while others are having to postpone their starting dates.
The consequences stretch beyond the housing market because many of the affected jobs are needed to maintain health, social care, education and other essential services across Orkney.
For island communities, attracting skilled workers is only part of the challenge if those people cannot then find somewhere suitable to live.
In response to Mr McArthur, the Housing Secretary offered to engage with him, Orkney Islands Council and local delivery organisations to consider where improvements could be made to support housebuilding.
Mr McArthur said after the exchange:
“Orkney’s housing crisis is felt keenly across the board, but it is also creating specific and acute problems for the delivery of key public services.
“Delivering lifeline services like health, social care and education depends on staff being able to find suitable housing within the local community.
“Too often, however, skilled applicants are forced to taking up jobs or simply cannot do so due to a lack of housing.
“I will be taking up the Cabinet Secretary’s offer to meet to discuss in more detail how existing support might be tailored to ensure key worker housing is given the priority it deserves.
“This is a situation that is only getting more serious, so further action is needed.”
The problem demonstrates how housing availability and the delivery of public services have become increasingly intertwined in island communities.
Recruiting a doctor, nurse, teacher or care worker achieves little if the person accepting the position then discovers there is nowhere suitable for them to live.
It can also leave existing staff carrying additional pressure when vacancies remain unfilled or new colleagues are unable to begin work when expected.
Mr McArthur now intends to pursue the Housing Secretary’s offer of further discussions, with the focus expected to be on whether existing support can be adapted to give greater priority to homes for key workers.
For Orkney, the immediate challenge is increasingly clear, with jobs needing people, people needing homes and essential services ultimately depending on the islands being able to provide both.
