SCOTTISH LABOUR DEMANDS STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST MINISTER ON HOUSING EMERGENCY

By Bill Heaney

Scottish Labour Housing Spokesperson, Mark Griffin MSP, has written to the First Minister asking him to make an urgent statement to parliament outlining his plans to address the deteriorating housing emergency in Scotland.

This follows a similar letter from leading housing charity, Shelter Scotland.

Scottish Labour will use Tuesday’s meeting of the parliamentary bureau to request a statement from the First Minister in the week ahead.

Scottish Labour and Shelter Scotland have both now written to the First Minister in the wake of the Scottish budget, which saw funding for affordable housing slashed by 26 per cent – a staggering £196 million – at the same time as nearly 10,000 children face life in temporary accommodation in Scotland without a home to call their own.

Scottish Labour Housing spokesperson Mark Griffin, left,  said: “The Scottish Government are in complete denial about the scale of the housing emergency in Scotland.

“In the face of record high homelessness, rents and mortgages spiralling, and housebuilding plummeting, the Scottish Government response has been to cut the housing budget by 26 per cent.

“The is a bitter blow to the nearly 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation in Scotland today, without a home to call their own.

“Such a devastating cut to the housing budget will only result in more and more children forced into homelessness, their calls to find them a home simply falling on deaf ears.

“Not only are the Scottish Government standing idly by and watching a worsening housing situation in Scotland, but their budget cuts are actively making it worse.

“Humza Yousaf must wake up, listen to the demands of Shelter Scotland, and outline to parliament how he intends to respond to what can only be described as a housing emergency.”