'Disgraceful' data shows children among those waiting years in temporary housing

The Scottish Government has been accused of presiding over "disgraceful" waits in temporary housing after figures revealed people are waiting years for a permanent home.

A freedom of information (FOI) request by the Scottish Conservatives found one person in Argyll and Bute has waited 13 years in temporary accommodation.

The data shows one child in Edinburgh has been waiting seven years for a permanent house, while an adult in the capital has waited nearly eight years.

Meanwhile, a child in Fife has been waiting more than four years in temporary housing. The longest wait for an adult in West Dunbartonshire is more than three years.

East Lothian had the longest average waits of any local authority at 342 days, the FOI found, followed by Shetland at 314 and Edinburgh at an average of 214.

The capital had the most people living in temporary housing of any council at 5,425 followed by Glasgow at 2,668.

Tory housing spokesman Meghan Gallacher said the state of temporary accommodation in Scotland is "appalling" and should "shame" the SNP.

She accused ministers of being "detached from reality" and urged for a change of direction to solve Scotland's housing crisis.

The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency earlier this year while at least a dozen councils have also declared one.

Ms Gallacher said: "These waits are an absolute disgrace. They should shame an SNP Government whose inaction has resulted in a national housing emergency."

"Nobody should be spending years languishing in temporary accommodation, yet that is what kids and adults alike are suffering on the SNP's watch."

"It is scarcely believable that someone was stuck without somewhere to call home for 13 years or a child suffered for over seven years in temporary accommodation which is often unacceptable to live in."

"SNP ministers continue to be detached from the reality facing far too many people and just don't get it."

The Central Scotland MSP said the figures should be a "wake-up call" and urged the Scottish Government to "ditch their current housing policies and accept they are not working".

She added: "Instead, they should urgently outline a plan to deliver the homes Scotland needs and reduce the numbers facing the huge uncertainty of temporary accommodation.

Housing minister Paul McLennan said: "The Scottish Government is determined to reduce the use of temporary accommodation and ensure that it is indeed temporary."

"The key to that is increasing housing stock and we have a strong track record by supporting the delivery of more than 133,000 affordable homes since 2007, with more than 94,000 of those being for social rent, 45% more affordable homes per head of population than in England and 70% more than in Wales."

"We continue to build on that record with almost £600 million of investment this year plus an additional £80 million over the next two years to ease the pressure on temporary accommodation by increasing the availability of affordable homes through acquisitions and bringing long-term empty council properties back into use."

"In 2024-25, we are providing local authorities with more than £14 billion to deliver a range of services including homelessness."

"This includes an annual share of £30.5 million for homelessness prevention measures, an annual share of £8 million to support the implementation of rapid rehousing transition plans and an additional £2 million to local authorities facing the most sustained temporary accommodation pressures."

"The aim of rapid rehousing is to reduce the use of temporary accommodation by moving people into settled accommodation as quickly as possible."