Shelter Scotland has challenged Cathy Jamieson to clarify her proposal for 'local homes for local people' by declaring what groups she believes have an unfair advantage when it comes to council house allocation.

Labour's Shadow Health Secretary has pledged to give young families a fairer chance of getting a house in their own area but has not outlined how she plans to do it.

Existing legislation already allows councils to take into account local connections when allocating homes. [1]

The housing and homelessness charity is currently campaigning to combat a £204 million fall in funding on affordable housing from this year to next. And the charity is calling on all political parties to back an extra £200 million for housing in the draft Scottish Budget currently being debated in the Scottish Parliament. [2]

Shelter Scotland Director Graeme Brown said: 'There are legitimate concerns in communities across Scotland about how to provide everyone with a home but, tinkering with allocations policy is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

'Cathy Jamieson is correct when she days that the best way to tackle the housing crisis is to build more homes. Last year 142,000 people languished on waiting lists and over 40,000 people were declared homeless.

'MSPs can help solve the crisis by voting to reverse the drastic fall in this year’s housing budget and by backing an extra £200 million for housing in the Scottish Budget.'

Graeme Brown added: 'If Cathy Jamieson believes local people are losing out then she must clarify which groups she believes have an unfair advantage when it comes to council house allocation.'

'We mustn’t allow housing policy to become entangled in the 'dog whistle' politics of groups like the BNP; who use slogans like 'local homes for local people' to create division in our communities.'

Notes to editors

1. Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.
2. Shelter Scotland's budget briefing is available here or contact the media office on 0844 515 2442.
3. Shelter Scotland believes everyone should have a home. The charity helps 170,000 people a year across the UK fight for their rights, get back on their feet, and find and keep a home. We also tackle the root causes of Scotland’s housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions.
4. Spokespeople are available for interview, telephone the media office on 0844 515 2442. An ISDN line number is available for broadcast interviews.
5. Follow Shelter Scotland on Facebook; Twitter; Bebo. Or pick up a Twibbon.