Scottish Borders Council urged to declare a housing emergency

A report to the council’s executive committee earlier this month revealed tha temporary housing in the region is at an all-time high and plans to build 184 affordable homes over the next year are unlikely to be achieved.

The paper stated: “An additional 184 affordable homes have been identified as potentially being able to complete.

“However, recent announcements regarding the cuts to the Affordable Housing Supply programme housing and a Resource Planning Assumption of £11.750m (26% below the previous year) means that projects will need to be carefully considered and prioritised and the full potential is unlikely to be realised.”

Committee members were also told the number of applications for social properties has doubled in five years – with Scottish Borders Housing Association receiving 104 bids for just five new homes in its latest development in Kelso.

And demand on local Registered Social Landlords is set to increase further after the council agreed to sell its temporary housing unit at Maxmill Park in Kelso, with councillors stating it’s no longer fit for purpose.

Against that backdrop, executive member councillor Julie Pirone urged the authority to declare a housing emergency, in order to bring a sharp focus on the issues locally.

She said: “I am really concerned that we have a housing crisis and we are not declaring it. I would really like us as an executive committee to declare a housing crisis, because every way we turn it is not an easy task and I don’t know how we get around some of the issues we’ve got.

“We’ve got issues with Ukrainians being here, who want housing and want to stay in the Scottish Borders, which is fantastic, but we are struggling to find them homes.

“I’ve seen the effect in the Homelessness Service. It’s devastating for families to be in accommodation that is not really suitable. None of us would want to be in some of the places they are, but they have got no choice.

“At the same time, we have still got lots of our own local people looking to move through the Registered Social Landlords outwith their own accommodation.

“We have young people who want to come back and live in the Borders and can’t afford any type of housing whatsoever, apart from moving back with mum and dad.

“I think that by declaring a crisis in housing then that moves us up a notch.

“That is not anything different from what councils across the country are doing but I think we really need to make sure that people grasp and understand that.

“We are a very rural area and people come here and see lots of beautiful hills and locations and they think we don’t have any problems like they have in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Perth, but we do, and it would be right for us as a council to stand up and say ‘we are also having this problem’.”

A report outlining the council’s options is due to be presented to a full meeting of Scottish Borders Council in the coming weeks.