‘Unthinkable’ cuts call after report shows councils break law on homelessness

Councils have been told it may be time to consider “unthinkable” cuts after a report found some are routinely breaking the law by not providing accommodation to homeless people.

Shelter Scotland suggested local authorities may have to non-cut essential services such as culture and sport in order to pay for homelessness services.

The call comes as a report found a number of councils failing to comply with their legal duty to provide housing to homeless people.

The Scottish Housing Regulator published its updated annual engagement plans for all 32 local authorities on Monday.

It identified the levels of homelessness in seven local authority areas “could shortly exceed their capacity to respond” and in the case of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife does “now exceeds their capacity to respond”, which it described as a “systemic failure”.

Shelter Scotland said this meant 10 councils in Scotland were breaking the law on a routine basis.

It also comes a week after figures showed a 9% drop in social house building and two months after the number of children in temporary accommodation rose to 10,360 – a record high.

Shelter said despite councils being legally required to provide housing, they continue to spend money on a range of “non-statutory” services, such as businesses, leisure and culture.

The charity has demanded urgent and “radical action” from every level of government to solve the issue.

Shelter Scotland director Alison Watson said: “Warm words and good intentions are failing to tackle Scotland’s growing housing emergency.

“Nearly a year since the Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency, the situation continues to get worse across every measure. House building is down and homelessness in increasing, and it is children on the frontline.

“It is time to think the unthinkable. What do we need to stop so that every child in Scotland has a home?

“What are people prepared to go without so that Scotland’s 10,360 children denied a home have a safe place of their own. Libraries? Enterprise schemes?

“What will it take to wake up to the scale of harm being inflicted in our communities by these relentless failures in housing and homelessness?”

Ms Watson called for a rise in public spending but said if councils lack cash for homeless services, they should stop spending it on areas not required by law.

She added: “If Scottish ministers believe there is enough money then they must do more to direct cash to where it can have the most impact.

“That is why they must now urgently publish their promised Housing Emergency Action Plan that sets out how we can ensure no local authority continues to break the law on homelessness.

“The UK Government must do more too and increase housing benefit and local housing allowance so that more people can keep the home they have. The spring statement was a missed opportunity to invest in our communities, but it is not too late to think again.

“Scotland is in a brutal housing emergency, and this demands an emergency response before it gets any worse.”

John Jellema, assistant director of regulation at the Scottish Housing Regulator, said the challenges within the homelessness system remain “significant”.

He added: “For many local authorities, the demands in the homelessness system – the number of people who are homeless, and the level of need they have – continue to exceed the capacity in the system to respond.”

The UK Government, the Scottish Government and Cosla have been approached for comment.