At Peebles Community Council in June, it was reported that the Borders had an underspend of about £5.39 million in its Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
At the same time, Scottish Borders Council has been placing homeless households in temporary accommodation in Carlisle because it has nowhere suitable locally.
Leaving housing money unspent during a housing emergency is indefensible. Scottish Greens councillors would:
- buy empty homes “off the shelf” to house local families quickly;
- use compulsory sale powers on derelict sites and long-empty buildings;
- put the extra Council Tax from second and empty homes into affordable housing;
- end out-of-area temporary accommodation.
