Coalition dismayed by FM’s slow response to housing crisis.

The Net Zero Club News Network is at the forefront of highlighting the urgent need to address Scotland’s housing emergency. A coalition of leading housing and anti-poverty organisations, comprising a unique partnership between the private, social, and third sectors, have expressed deep disappointment at the lack of response from First Minister John Swinney almost five weeks after presenting proposals to tackle this crisis.

The organisations had co-produced a comprehensive housing emergency action plan in response to the declaration of a national housing emergency by the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament on 15 May 2024. However, despite sending a letter on 20 June 2024 explicitly emphasising the need for the First Minister to invest his political capital in changing course, they have received no response to their request for a meeting to discuss this urgent matter.

In a joint statement, Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson; Homes for Scotland CEO, Jane Wood; and CIH Scotland national director, Callum Chomczuk, expressed their disappointment at the lack of acknowledgment from the First Minister. They highlighted the critical importance of addressing issues such as the shortage of homes for social rent, reducing the number of children in temporary accommodation, and ensuring every local council upholds the law for people in need of housing.

The coalition stressed in their letter that they do not have confidence in the current structures to deliver without the First Minister’s willingness to invest his political capital in changing the direction. They remain ready and eager to collaborate with the government in tackling Scotland’s housing emergency whenever they are prepared to acknowledge and confront the severity of the crisis.