Scottish Government urged to set ambitious target of ending homelessness by 2023

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
The Scottish Government should set a target of 2023 for ending homelessness, says Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs after being appointed his party's new shadow social justice, housing and local government secretary.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

He was handed the role - shadowing Shona Robison - as part of a shake-up of opposition posts announced by Tory leader Douglas Ross

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Briggs had previously served as shadow health secretary and then chief whip.

Miles Briggs is now shadow social justice, housing and local government secretaryMiles Briggs is now shadow social justice, housing and local government secretary
Miles Briggs is now shadow social justice, housing and local government secretary

"For me the number one priority in this portfolio is trying to end homelessness,” he said.

"All the parties have committed to doing that over this parliament, so by 2026, but I think we need to be far more ambitious.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said much of the emergency provision made during the pandemic was now "slowly being switched off".

“We are seeing, in Edinburgh especially, people back out on the streets.”

Jeremy Balfour is shadow minister for social security and local governmentJeremy Balfour is shadow minister for social security and local government
Jeremy Balfour is shadow minister for social security and local government

But he said: “I think there is a way of us all working cross-party to try ad find a long-term solution to that. It's a complex issue, I'm not pretending it's not, but I think that's where all our energies should be focused.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Edinburgh has been leading on some of this work – there are different models, like Rowan Alba, who provide homes for people with alcohol brain damage; there's all the work being done at the homeless village in Leith; so there are loads of opportunities.

“In my discussions with the government I want us to try to set target to achieve that policy, but not by the end of the parliament. I think we should be aiming to end homelessness by 2023 at the latest.”

He said the pandemic had shown that when people worked together across government and local authorities they could make things happen. “I want to see if we can keep that spirit in some of these issues.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Susan Webber is shadow minister for drugs policySusan Webber is shadow minister for drugs policy
Susan Webber is shadow minister for drugs policy

Fellow Lothian MSP Jeremy Balfour has been given a junior ministerial role in the new Tory line-up, serving in Mr Briggs’ team as shadow minister for social security and local government.

And newly-elected Lothian MSP Sue Webber has also been given a role. She is shadow minister for drugs policy as part of the party’s health team, alongside new East Lothian-based South of Scotland MSP Craig Hoy, who is made shadow minister for mental health and social care.

Read More
Meet the five new MSPs just elected for Edinburgh and the Lothians

A message from the Editor:

Craig Holy is shadow minister for mental health and social careCraig Holy is shadow minister for mental health and social care
Craig Holy is shadow minister for mental health and social care

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.