The Scottish government has declared a national housing emergency due to a combination of factors such as UK government budget cuts, austerity measures, labour shortages linked to Brexit, inflation, and a freeze to local housing allowance rates. During a Labour-led debate at Holyrood, SNP ministers cited the aforementioned factors for the move. Last year, several councils such as Argyll and Bute, City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City, and Fife declared housing emergencies, while West Dunbartonshire followed suit earlier this month. Declaring an emergency is a signal to the government that the current situation is not working and intervention is required.
By conceding that there is a housing emergency, ministers avoided the possibility of facing potential defeat in the debate on the emergency. They also formally recognised the housing problem and called for cuts to the Scottish government’s capital budget to be reversed. John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister, requested all the parties to reach a consensus and recognise the significance of the challenge that exists. He emphasised that the government did not have an unlimited amount of money, and investing everything was not feasible since its capital budget was decreasing due to the UK government’s reduction.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville acknowledged that a joint approach between the Scottish and UK governments, along with local authorities, was necessary to address the housing situation, which she called “one of the defining issues of a generation”. However, there are no automatic practical effects of making a declaration. The Scottish Greens tabled an amendment to the motion calling for a nationwide system of rent controls to be committed to in the new housing bill. Scottish Labour criticised the government for making “brutal” cuts to the housing budget. Scottish Tory Leader Douglas Ross accused the SNP of harming the housing sector due to political decisions.
A young mother, Stacey, and her six-year-old son Archie finally secured a permanent council flat after nearly a decade of living in several homeless flats. The BBC has been following their journey through Scotland’s housing emergency. In the budget earlier this year, the Scottish government cut the affordable housing budget by £200m from 2023-24, around 26%, due to Westminster cuts. In one of his final acts as the First Minister, Humza Yousaf announced an £80m increase to the same budget over two years, resulting in a cut of £163m, or 22%, in real terms from 2023-24
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