Andy Wightman MSP, Housing spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, today backed the call from Shelter to tackle levels of homelessness the charity describes as a “national badge of shame”.
A poll commissioned by the charity found 54 per cent of Scots believe government could do more to address the problem.
Andy Wightman MSP said:
“Scottish Greens fully support Shelter’s campaign and have long called for Scotland’s housing crisis to be taken seriously by Scottish Ministers. Homelessness can happen to anyone. Over the past decade we’ve seen house prices and rental costs rocketing, pushing hundreds of thousands of Scots into desperate situations.
“We need more homes and we need affordable homes. It is vital that Scottish Ministers take responsibility rather than leaving the rate of housebuilding to profit-driven developers.
“We can build more houses, to a higher quality, if we give councils the power to buy land at existing use value rather than allowing developers to inflate the price. And we can tax Scotland’s 11,000 hectares of vacant and derelict land to raise millions to tackle this crisis.
“In this session of Parliament there is no question that housing must be a priority, backed with action and substantial investment. The Green MSPs will work with others to make it happen.”