Local Government and Communities Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Official Report 594KB pdf

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Petition

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Homelessness (PE1686)

The next item on the agenda is consideration of public petition PE1686, by Sean Clerkin, on “Homelessness crisis in Scotland”. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to front load £40 million of the £50 million in the ending homelessness together fund that is allocated for the core homeless over the next five years, and for that to be used in the next year to build new homes and refurbish existing properties so that the core homeless have safe, secure and comfortable homes in tandem with support services in an expanded housing first policy.

We considered the petition at our meeting on 21 November 2018 and agreed to write to the Scottish Government to seek its views on the issues that are raised in it. We have received a response from the Scottish Government and a written submission from the petitioner, which are included in our meeting papers. Do members have any views?

I read with interest the note by the clerk, which clearly sets out the background to the petition and all relevant developments. The petition was lodged on 7 March 2018 and, since then, there have been a number of developments. In June 2018, the homelessness and rough sleeping action group—HARSAG—published its 70 recommendations. In November 2018, the Scottish Government published its high-level action plan, which set out in detail the actions to be taken in partnership with local government in relation to those 70 recommendations. Therefore, since the petition was lodged in March 2018, there have been developments and the Scottish Government has taken a number of initiatives.

I note from the papers that the Scottish Government does not support the petition. The Government points to the approach that it has set forth and those recent developments, including the £50 million fund over five years. Money from that fund together with a smaller sum from the health portfolio, amounting to £23.5 million, has been allocated for rapid rehousing and the housing first approach. Indeed, a pledge has been made on housing first. It appears that the petition is not supported by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations or the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations.

To be fair to the petitioner, he came forward with ideas and they have been considered. The Scottish Government has proposed a different route, but it picks up on many of the feelings that led the petitioner to lodge the petition. Events have overtaken the petitioner’s objectives and therefore, in the circumstances, I feel that the petition should be closed. Obviously, the committee has a keen interest in homelessness and has done work on the issue, and it should continue to keep a close eye on the actions as they are rolled out and on what the Scottish Government is doing. I am sure that the committee will continue to keep the issue under close scrutiny. I suggest that we close the petition.

I broadly agree with Annabelle Ewing. The papers on the petition are all in the public domain. The Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Government have all made their views clear. The committee’s job is to look at the evidence in front of us. I am not persuaded that homelessness would be better tackled by front-loading £40 million of the £50 million fund. I have not seen a route to doing that effectively.

I commend the petitioner for bringing forward the petition, because the homelessness crisis that we are facing is urgent and very real, as was reflected in the committee’s inquiry on the topic last year. It is a matter of regret, but nevertheless fact or reality, that many of the proposals of the Government’s homelessness action group cannot be instantly implemented but will take a bit of time. That is just an unfortunate fact.

Therefore, I am inclined to agree with Annabelle Ewing. I am not sure whether we have the power to close the petition or whether we have to recommend to the Public Petitions Committee that it do so, but, either way, there is not much to be gained by taking the petition any further.

The power rests with us to close the petition, as it was handed on to us.

As members have no more comments, I assume that other members’ views are similar to those that we have heard. Is anybody not minded to close the petition?

Members: No.

Given what I have heard from the committee, it is clear that there is a unanimous decision to close the petition, on the grounds that the Scottish Government has made its position clear and does not support the policy set out in the petition, as it has its preferred approach to the matter, which is set out clearly in the letter that the minister sent to the committee. We should commend the petitioner for raising the issue with the Public Petitions Committee and with us, but, as members have made clear, things have moved on. We will keep a close eye on the homelessness situation and we hope to see improvements in the next year or so.

That concludes the public part of today’s meeting. We will now move into private session.

11:27 Meeting continued in private until 11:34.