ROOFLESS AUSTERITY

First Minister warned that £196m hit is 'worst decision at the worst possible time'

- CHRIS MCCALL

HUMZA Yousaf has been urged to axe a "devastating" £196million housing cash cut in this week's Scottish Budget amid soaring rents and a homelessness crisis.

Campaigners, housebuilders and social housing groups have called on ministers to invest in more affordable housing at a time many are fighting to keep a roof over their heads.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison will tomorrow ask MSPs to vote in favour of Holyrood's spending plans.

The draft Budget includes a massive £196million cut in funding for affordable housing in Scotland.

In an open letter published in the Record today, campaigners and industry bodies join forces to beg the First Minister not to axe the cash.

The plea comes from Sally Thomas, chief executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Jane Wood of industry body Homes for Scotland, and Callum Chomczuk, Scottish director of the Chartered Institute of Housing.

The letter is also backed by anti-poverty think tank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

They write: "Tomorrow the Scottish Parliament will decide whether to approve your government's budget a budget that proposes to slash the money available to build social homes by more than a quarter.

"The planning budget, which is crucial to the delivery of more homes, is also to be cut by 43 per cent. But we have a housing emergency with independent research evidencing that 693,000 Scottish households are facing some form of housing need.

"Almost one in 20 people in Scotland are on a waiting list for a social home, 30,000 are homeless and nearly 10,000 children are growing up in temporary accommodation. We PLEA Callum Chomczuk and Jane Wood just aren't building the homes that Scotland needs, and all the time the situation is getting worse. This simply isn't right.