SNP record on youth homelessness ‘appalling’, Sir Keir Starmer says

Figures published earlier this year by Shelter Scotland revealed there were more than 3,600 children in Edinburgh in temporary housing as of November last year. This compares to 2,823 children in temporary accommodation across all of Wales in the same month.

Scottish Labour MP Chris Murray raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, asking Sir Keir would he work with him and others to help end child homelessness in Scotland.

The Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP said: “According to the charity Shelter, there are more homeless children in my city of Edinburgh than there are in the whole of Wales.

“That’s an appalling legacy of 18 years of SNP Government. Does the Prime Minister agree with me there should be no homeless children, and will he work with me, the Scottish Parliament and anyone who’ll listen to end child homelessness in Scotland?”

The Prime Minister replied: “The situation he describes is an appalling indictment of the SNP record.

“The party opposite left record homelessness in England, the SNP record is equally shameful, a record number of children in temporary accommodation. We’re investing £1 billion to tackle homelessness, we’re abolishing no fault evictions and building 1.5 million new homes.

“Meanwhile the SNP have cut their affordable housing budget, they’ve had the largest settlement since devolution, they’ve got the power, the money. Now it’s time they start delivering.”

Speaking to The Scotsman after PMQs, Mr Murray claimed Edinburgh was in a “housing emergency”.

He said: “You see it everywhere, from house prices to spiralling rents. But those bearing the hardest brunt are homeless children - and it should shame us all that there are more in Scotland’s capital than the whole of Wales.

“The UK government is raising the minimum wage, giving workers new rights and helping people into work, which should all help. But fundamentally we need more houses to be built - so we need planning reform. The SNP also need to reverse their brutal cuts to councils. I’ll work with anyone to sort this.”

Other figures from Shelter Scotland from earlier this year showed a record-breaking 10,360 children are living in temporary accommodation in Scotland as of September30 last year.

Housing Minister Paul McLennan defended the Scottish Government’s record.

He said: “Increasing housing supply is the best way to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation. We have a strong track record in that having supported the delivery of more than 135,000 affordable homes since 2007, that’s 47 per cent more per head of population than England and 73 per cent more than Wales.

“We are also making progress in turning around empty council homes, for instance void levels in Edinburgh have been cut by 55 per cent since June 2023.

“We will provide record funding of more than £15 billion to councils in 2025/26 to support the delivery of a range of services, including homelessness services.

“We have a multi-year £100 million fund for specific action to prevent homelessness, end rough sleeping and reduce temporary accommodation use. Latest statistics show 20 councils have reduced the number of children in temporary accommodation as at September 30, 2024 compared to the previous year.”