Westminster homelessness challenge

SCSH has challenged the political parties to ensure their General Election campaigning highlights their plans to tackle homelessness. Candidates are being sent SCSH’s charter for change to make sure that homelessness and housing are not forgotten during the campaign.

For example, SCSH has long argued for the abolition of the Single Room Rent introduced by the Conservatives and continued by Labour. This restricts the amount of housing benefit paid to young people to the average cost for a room in shared accommodation. Research has shown it is causing widespread hardship and the influential House of Commons Select Committee on Social Security has called for its abolition. Ministers have previously argued that it would be costly to abolish but Angela Eagle MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, has revealed to SCSH that the true cost is just £65m per year.

SCSH director, Robert Aldridge , comments:

"Despite the progress of the Housing Bill through Holyrood, it is wrong to think that Westminster has no powers to tackle homelessness. Scottish Council for Single Homeless has identified significant policy reforms that would help tackle homelessness across the United Kingdom

"£65m to end the hardship caused by the single room rent appears good value to Scottish Council for Single Homeless, particularly when considered against the £103 billion Social Security budget. We know of young people who have become homeless because the single room rent payment won’t cover the cost of a modest one person flat."