Shelter Scotland responds to publication of Scottish Government’s Housing Bill

The housing bill published today by the Scottish Government fails to address the systemic issues driving the housing emergency Shelter Scotland has said.

The charity warned that there was no realistic prospect of councils being able to fulfil new statutory obligations given that local authorities are regularly failing to meet their existing legal duties.

The bill’s publication comes in the wake of figures which show a significant decline in the delivery of social homes, which Shelter Scotland says is essential in tackling the systemic issues driving the housing emergency.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said:

“There is a growing consensus that Scotland is in the grip of a Housing Emergency. Already four local authorities have declared housing emergencies, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks.

“Today’s housing bill was an opportunity to address the causes of that emergency and end the scandal of 10,000 children trapped in temporary accommodation.

“What we need is urgent action to drive up the supply of social homes, invest in local services and stop to councils breaking existing homelessness laws.

“Instead, we have a Housing Bill that does none of that and risks diverting frontline staff from the task in hand. By proposing new additional duties on councils already failing to deliver existing laws, we run the risk of making the situation worse.

“It is time for Scottish Ministers to listen to what our communities are telling them – declare a housing emergency and bring forward a new plan to deliver the social homes we need.”

ENDS