£196M CUT HITS HOME

Affordable housing spend decimated despite record levels of 'homelessness. Councils starved of cash as tax on rich offset by freeze on council charge

- PAUL HUTCHEON

HUMZA Yousaf has been accused of damaging the "social fabric" of Scotland after SNP and Green MSPs pushed through a savage £196million cut to affordable housing in a crucial budget vote.

Campaign groups hit out at the housing cut which came as figures revealed Scotland is experiencing record levels of homelessness.

Yousaf faced severe criticism last night after his first budget as First Minister was pushed through by 68 votes to 55.

Central to the spending plans for the next financial year are income tax rises which raise the rates for Scots earning more than £75,000.

But Yousaf also backed spending cuts in key areas to balance the budget. One of the biggest was a near £200million reduction for affordable housing, which campaign groups pleaded to be ditched.

He also linked funding for local authorities to a council tax freeze critics believe benefits the wealthy and leads to further cuts.

Campaigners hit out at the budget, with STUC general secretary Roz Foyer saying: "In passing this budget, the Scottish Parliament are passing on cuts that will be deeply damaging to the social fabric of our communities and have let the Scottish Government off the hook.

"This budget significantly cuts funding for local government, further and higher education as well as cutting the capital investment needed to tackle both the climate and housing crises." Earlier this week, a range of campaign groups made a plea to the First Minister in the Record to row back on cuts to the housing budget.

Last night the groups spoke of their disappointment that the package was voted through by SNP and Green MSPs.

Chris Birt of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: "The decision to cut social housing budgets is not one a poverty-fighting government should be making.