Peeblesshire News | News | Crisis as homeless figures rise

Thursday, 4th December, 2008

Published: Friday, 29th September, 2006 10:29

Crisis as homeless figures rise

By David Knox

TIGHT-LIPPED council bosses have been slammed for allowing waiting lists and homeless numbers in Peeblesshire to reach crisis point.

Almost 500 are currently waiting to be housed with one of the area’s Regional Social Landlords, Eildon Housing.

And the number is growing by the month – with any sign of a plan to combat the problem being continuously put on the back burner.

But action could have been taken more than two years ago to reverse the flow when the situation was highlighted in an official council housing survey.

While the report – entitled Peebles Housing Needs – gathered dust at Newtown St Boswells, social work and planning representatives on the council’s ruling adminstration have claimed they didn’t have figures to help them set affordable and social housing targets for developers.

Councillor Catriona Bhatia has now tabled an official motion blasting the lack of progress, and calling for immediate action.

She told the Peeblesshire News: “There has been a report, from what I can tell, left lying on someone’s desk while councilors in charge of the council repeatedly tell me there is no data available when I raise the issue.

“I have been trying for ages to get hold of this report – I knew it existed – but nobody has been forthcoming.

“Other local authorities are forging ahead with plans for social and affordable housing, while we have just sat back and said there’s no figures available. Try telling that to all of those people who are on that list and wanting a home.

“It is extremely frustrating telling the people of Peebles week after week that there are no houses.”

The Scottish Executive set a benchmark figure last year of 25 per cent of all developments to be set aside for either affordable-to-buy or social-for-rent housing.

Scottish Borders Council has not come close to reaching that figure on any recent developments given approval.

No social housing has been built in Peebles for eight years.

And even the 12 planned properties for rent in Innerleithen, as part of the 80-house private Clough Mill development, have already been downgraded from terraced family homes to flats.

The most recent waiting list figures show 347 applications for homes in Peebles, 229 for Innerleithen and 148 for West Linton.

Patricia Purves, councillor for Innerleithen, has backed Catriona Bhatia’s motion. But she fears the housing problem could be even worse than the figures suggest. Councillor Purves said: “I find the whole situation dreadful. It should never have been allowed to get as bad as this.

“We have not been able to get the information we wanted for a long time. This motion is born out of frustration.”

“As well as the waiting list, there are also a great number of people not on that list yet having to live in unsuitable accommodation. I regularly visit families with two or three older children having to share a bedroom.”

But bosses at council headquarters have taken issue with councillors’ claims.

And believe an imminent study will help relieve the problem.

A spokeswoman for the local authority said: “ At no time has Scottish Borders Council carried out a specific study on homelessness in the Tweeddale area.

“SBC has, however, carried out various small-scale studies and produced working papers over a number of years regarding housing issues across a range of localities. Findings from these studies informed the Council’s first Local Housing Strategy submission to Communities Scotland in April 2004.

“The current housing needs assessment study, due to be completed imminently, is the first large-scale housing needs survey of this kind conducted in Scottish Borders.

“The Housing Needs Assessment was commissioned from Outside Research following a tender exercise in January 2006. The contract with Outside Research required a full report to be provided to the Council by November 2006 and this timescale will be met.”

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