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Edinburgh Council criticised for ‘sticking plaster’ solution to homelessness

SCOTLAND’S capital city was criticised today for forking out £17.5 million a year for an illegal “sticking plaster” solution to housing the homeless.

Six months ago, the City of Edinburgh Council promised to stop housing families in bed and breakfasts for more than the seven-day legal limit. But the practice is still going on.

One mum told BBC Scotland that she had been housed in a B&B with her daughter after her relationship broke down.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, she said: “There’s nowhere to cook, there’s nowhere to wash clothes and we share a bathroom with everyone else, it’s not been cleaned in the four weeks that I’ve been here.

“There are CCTVs in the corridor, there’s a curfew to abide by. I’m not allowed any visitors. This is more of a prison than it is a home.”

The council says it is taking action over homelessness. But Green councillor Susan Rae, who has herself stayed in a B&B for the homeless, said: “One of the council’s big aims is to end the use of bed and breakfast hotels for homeless people.

“However, in the last six months alone, bed and breakfast use has soared by 14 per cent to almost 120,000 bed-nights, some as far away as Motherwell and Livingston.

“This is not so much missing the target as heading in completely the wrong direction.”

She said the high cost of B&B accommodation meant the city was paying £17.5m for a “sticking plaster which could be funding new homes.”

The council said it aims to build 20,000 “affordable” homes over the next decade. It is developing plans to force owners of empty homes to sell up, and also wants to regulate the number of short-term lets.

Edinburgh homelessness task force chairwoman Kate Campbell told the BBC: “Importantly, the length of time that families are spending in B&Bs has come down a huge amount.

“It was around six weeks for some of the worst cases we’d heard about and that’s come down to under two. So that has made a difference. It’s not good enough and we still have a lot of work to do.”

Conrad Landin is Morning Star Scotland editor.

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