New figures reveal that £60m meant for building and buying new housing will go unspent by City of Edinburgh Council this year.
This is in spite of the existing housing crisis and thousands of homeless families in the city.
Corporate Director of Place, Mr Gareth Barwell, claims that the underspending was a result of extreme strain on the amount of available temporary housing.
The Scottish Government has recently announced additional housing funding, hoping to alleviate pressure on local councils to overcome these pressures on the market.
A complete lack of focus
Despite remaining a priority, it is estimated that a further 750 people are expected to need temporary accommodation each year, making this issue a priority for the council.
This places particular pressure on the administration as the underspent money was intended for homelessness services and the development of new council housing which has been unsuccessful.
Updated numbers have also revealed that an estimated £11m has been underspent on homelessness services, with a further £45m meant for buying existing homes also going unused.
According to multiple sources including Edinburgh Evening News, SNP councillor Kate Campbell reported that these figures showed “a complete lack of focus” particularly during a housing emergency which Edinburgh has been experiencing since November 2023.
Talking to The Student, students reported that select letting agencies continue “to have a monopoly over the student flatting market,” making it difficult to find housing in select areas including Morningside and Newington.
One second-year student described their experience with a “Mickey Mouse lease,” as evidence that the “council have been slack in chasing these people up,” and allowing “patchy” advertising.
“City of Edinburgh Council” by Kirsty Ross is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
