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Progress to tackle Scottish housing crisis will stall if cabinet role scrapped, charity warns
Shelter Scotland has urged the incoming Scottish government to retain the cabinet secretary for housing post, warning progress to fix the housing crisis will stall if the role is scrapped.
Progress to tackle Scottish housing crisis will stall if cabinet role scrapped, charity warns #UKhousingShelter Scotland has urged the incoming Scottish government to retain the housing secretary post, warning that progress to fix the housing crisis will stall if not #UKhousingThe cabinet secretary for housing post was created for the first time last year, after the Scottish government declared a housing emergency.
Màiri McAllan’s appointment into the role followed the reversal of the £200m cut to the affordable housing budget and led to the creation of the More Homes Agency.
As MSPs prepare to take their seats in parliament following the recent election, charity Shelter Scotland has said the housing secretary role must continue “if the government is serious about tackling the housing emergency”.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) won the Scottish election on 7 May, winning 58 seats, but fell short of the 65 seats needed for a majority.
Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, said it is vital that a dedicated cabinet secretary is appointed to “give housing a voice around the cabinet table”.
She continued: “Progress stalled when housing was a junior role; new things happen when there is a dedicated voice for the housing emergency in Bute House.
“Tackling the housing emergency and ending homelessness must be a top priority for our new MSPs.
“When children in temporary accommodation are at a record high and social housebuilding has plummeted to record lows, giving housing a voice in cabinet is vital to give these issues the attention they need.”
Ms Watson said that people who become homeless “need a voice around [SNP leader] John Swinney’s cabinet table”.
“They cannot be an afterthought, and we cannot afford progress to tackle the housing emergency to be put at risk due to a game of political musical chairs,” she added.
The charity has previously warned that homelessness in Scotland is becoming the “new normal” as figures showed that 18,000 households were living in temporary accommodation earlier this year, a 9% rise on the previous year.
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