Roz McCall MSP, Alexander Stewart MSP, Murdo Fraser MSP and Liz Smith MSP have today called on the Scottish Government to take urgent action on housing and homelessness across Fife to prevent the Kingdom being added to the rapidly increasing list of local authorities declaring a Housing Emergency .
The call follows a letter from the leader of Fife Council, Councillor David Ross, to the First Minister in which he outlines the severe pressures on housing and homelessness in Fife.
During the course of the letter, Councillor Ross highlights a number of pressures facing Fife Council in delivering its sufficient affordable housing to meet present and future need, including what he describes as ‘’disproportionate cuts in the affordable housing budget as it has been reduced by 26% in comparison to a 4.3% reduction in the Scottish Government’s capital budget.
The leader of Fife Council ends his letter by calling for urgent support from the Scottish Government, and states that a failure to do so will lead to Fife Council declaring a housing emergency.
The four Scottish Conservative MSPs have also written to the First Minister supporting these calls, stating that their Fife constituents deserve better.
Roz McCall MSP, Alexander Stewart MSP, Murdo Fraser MSP and Liz Smith MSP said:
‘’This damning letter to the First Minister highlights the dire state of housing in Fife as more and more people become trapped in temporary accommodation.
‘’The SNP have refused to prioritise housing in Fife for over a decade and failed to meet their own housebuilding and affordable home targets again and again.
‘’We need the Scottish Government to wake up and realise that there is a major problem here and give Fife Council the support it needs before it is faced with yet another council declaring a housing emergency.
‘’The SNP have starved Fife Council of essential funding to tackle the spiralling problems and we call on the First Minister to urgently respond.
‘’We have also today written to the First Minister supporting Fife Council’s appeals for urgent support.’’
