Comment on UK Government's 2017 Budget

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said:

“This budget contained significant funding for new home building which is welcome. We now wait to see details of the level of the extra funding for Scotland and hope the Scottish Government will use this new money to focus on homelessness prevention and further its ambition on affordable house building.”

Graeme Brown added:

“Getting rid of the 7-day waiting period before people can claim and extending the repayment period for advances is welcome, however, Universal Credit is still flawed and needs to be halted and fully fixed before being rolled-out further.

“We welcome the Targeted Affordability Fund for those living in areas where the gap between housing benefit and private rent is highest. But, by failing to remove the freeze on local housing allowance for private renters, things can only get worse for many thousands of people in Scotland who we know are already struggling to pay their rent, running up arrears and facing an increased risk of homelessness.”