Key workers are an integral part of our communities,  from caring for our grandparents to building our homes. Without them, our society would not be able to function.

The definition of a key worker is decided at a council level, as what’s deemed essential in a city is often different to what’s needed in a remote rural area.

No matter how they are defined, concern is growing that lack of housing is preventing the attraction and retention of key workers. An increase in the declaration of housing emergencies is likely to add to an already difficult situation.

Those worries were evident when I attended the Rural Housing Scotland conference in February, where the shortage of both short and longer-term accommodation was consistently highlighted.

This comes at a time when organisations like Scotwind and the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport are looking to bring in additional workers to these rural areas. With communities also wanting this influx of business, lack of homes is a real issue.

Keeping essential workers in our communities comes down to three main things: affordability, availability and proximity of homes. High quality, affordable housing that’s close to workplaces is paramount.

In some places, high house prices coupled with relatively low income makes it difficult for key workers to buy from the open market. Providing properties for mid-market rent is one potential solution. However, mid-market rental should be a stepping stone – but with high rent levels fewer tenants are moving on, and this stagnation is compounding the issue.

While Community Development Trusts and housing organisations are developing and providing this much needed key worker housing, this tends to be on a smaller scale. Much more needs done to meet this growing demand - and we must get creative.

Repurposing existing empty town centre buildings can rejuvenate communities while providing a feeling of greater safety, and these homes can be particularly attractive to workers as they are often close to workplaces. For example, South of Scotland Community Housing and the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership have converted empty town centre buildings, like a former police station and hotel, into community housing.

When councils produce local development plans, they should be thinking about key worker housing allocations. Policies that deal with key worker housing need to be consistent with a council’s wider planning policies.

The Scottish Futures Trust is currently exploring the potential for councils to deliver market level housing for rent and sale in areas where there is market failure. We have considered how the occupancy of the homes could be restricted once built, including rural housing burdens to prioritise workers.

We also need to address the question of who should provide key worker housing – the employer, the local authority, or a partnership of both? In a great example of this, the Cairngorm Business Partnership, Highland Council and Highland Housing Alliance worked together to support the delivery of housing for employees. Local businesses paid a small fee to allow their employees to take priority for mid-market rental properties.

However we do it, we need to prioritise attracting and retaining key workers in the communities that need them most, by ensuring they have somewhere to call home.

Jenny Davies is Associate Director, Scottish Futures Trust

Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk