Edinburgh declares housing emergency amid PRS crisis

Edinburgh has become the first city council in Scotland to declare a housing emergency, as it faces a ‘crisis’ in both the public and private renting sectors.

The declaration was made after a motion by the council’s housing convener, Jane Meagher, who highlighted the ‘severe challenges’ of providing affordable and adequate accommodation for the city’s residents.

The motion cited the record number of households in temporary accommodation, which stands at 5,000 – the highest in Scotland.

It also pointed out the severe shortage of social rented homes, with about 200 bids for each available property.

Also, the city has the highest rental inflation rate in the UK at 13.7%, putting pressure on low-income and vulnerable tenants.

People are ‘horrified’ at the number of homeless people

Before the council agreed to the motion, Labour Coun Meagher told the meeting that people are ‘horrified’ at the real number of homeless people in Edinburgh and there are now 44 council officers dedicated to reducing homelessness in the city.

Along with the motion receiving lots of support, tenants are struggling with cost of living and post-pandemic issues, she said.

Coun Meagher warned that not only is demand not being met, but there are more families, asylum seekers and private rented sector tenants needing to be housed.

She said: “This is not a party political issue. It’s a basic human right and the situation is getting worse.”

Coun Meagher also urged every local authority in Scotland to declare an emergency so they ‘can take concerted efforts’ in resolving the problem.

Spending more than a year in temporary accommodation

Coun Tim Pogson said that families are spending more than a year in temporary accommodation – those entering homeless accommodation can look forward to being rehoused by January 2025.

More than one councillor backed the call from Shelter Scotland to declare an emergency while the city has seen a reduction in its housebuilding funding.

Conservative Coun Iain Whyte spoke about the ‘impact of the rent cap and the signal it sends to landlords’.

He added: “It’s no surprise that one in four landlords are thinking of selling up.”

He said more housing is needed to resolve the problem and added: “The rent cap is having a real effect and other regulations are potentially driving landlords out.”

Previously, Green Coun Ben Parker had said the rent cap is a good policy.

And before a vote was taken, Coun Meagher rejected an addendum from the Conservatives and said that a rent cap is a ‘necessary tool’ to control the ‘greed of landlords’.

Establish a Housing Emergency Action Plan

The council will now work with council officers, third sector partners, external organisations such as SHAPE, Shelter Scotland and Cyrenians, to establish a Housing Emergency Action Plan.

The plan will build on and consolidate existing actions to address the housing emergency, such as increasing the supply of social and affordable housing, preventing homelessness, supporting tenants’ rights and improving housing standards.

The council will also seek additional resources from the Scottish government to help meet the challenges.

The council leader Cammy Day will write to the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and the housing minister.

Committed to deliver 100,000 affordable homes

The government’s Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, has said ‘tackling homelessness is a key priority’ that the government is ‘working closely with local authorities and partners to prevent and alleviate homelessness’.

He added that the government has invested £3.5 billion in affordable housing since 2016 and has committed to deliver 100,000 affordable homes by 2032.

The City of Edinburgh Council is not the first local authority in Scotland to declare a housing emergency.

The Argyll and Bute council made a similar declaration in June this year, citing a lack of suitable and affordable housing in rural areas.

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