Edinburgh Council to declare a housing emergency as building costs and homelessness numbers soar

Council Leader Cammy Day says the authority needs more cash and support from the Scottish Government

Edinburgh Council is set to declare a housing emergency. Image: Jane Barlow/Press Association.

Edinburgh Council is set to declare a housing emergency, as it grapples with thousands of people with nowhere to live, and social landlords being unable to build new homes.

Council Leader Cammy Day says the capital is struggling to cope with the increasing costs associated with building new homes, and says the staggering number of homeless people is costing the council millions.

Councillors will meet on Thursday 2 November and will be asked to officially declare a housing emergency in Edinburgh, and plead for the Scottish Government to give them more cash to deal with it.

Councillor Cammy Day, leader of Edinburgh Council. Image: Ian Georgeson.

Speaking to The Scotsman, Councillor Day said: “We have some real issues with housing being affordable to live in, and it is even becoming unaffordable for some registered social landlords to build now.

“Harbour Homes say they won’t be developing any more housing because of the increasing cost of building, land and borrowing, and rent caps.

“All of that is making it untenable for them in the foreseeable future.”

Edinburgh Council needs to build 25,000 new homes over the next 10 years, but the council leader warns their ability to do this is “exacerbated” by social landlords pausing their building programmes - however he adds he understands as inflation and construction costs are “through the roof just now”.

Councillor Day added: “A two-bedroom house in a high-rise block in the west of the city will get a few hundred applications.

“A main door property will get in excess of 1,200 bids, so we have to let down 1,199 people on a single property.”

One of the other big issues putting strain on Edinburgh’s housing stock is the growing number of people who are homeless, with more and more coming to the city.

Councillor Day said: “Every single night there are 4,500-5,000 people in temporary accommodation.

“It is a growing crisis and it is costing us £60 million, which has quadrupled in the last few years - it is a huge issue for us.”

This is on top of the growing number of asylum seekers and refugees coming into the city - the council leader says they are welcome, but it is putting a strain on public services.

This comes only days after Glasgow City Council said it had a refugee housing emergency.

If councillors agree to declare a housing emergency in Edinburgh, they will write to the Housing Minister Paul McLennan, asking for more cash and support.

Councillor Day added: “We need urgent investment in housing, whether that’s building more housing or retrofitting homes.

“We need to see an increase in affordable housing grants coming to the council.

“We also have a cumbersome process for bidding for houses and we want to fast-track that, but we need support from the government to say ‘yes’ to that so we can take measures out with the normal process to allocate housing.”

Councillors will meet at 10am to discuss this.

The Scottish Government and Harbour Homes have both been approached for comment.