VOW TO AXE SLUM HOSTELS:
Council pledge to get folk out of B&Bs and improve facilities
HOUSING chiefs have vowed to end the shame of Scotland’s slum hostels – after the Record revealed hellish conditions in a “pigsty” bed and breakfast.
We exposed the appalling state of Abbot’s House B&B, with families complaining of filthy bedrooms, blood stained mattresses and disgusting toilets.
But after our story yesterday, BY STEPHEN STEWART council bosses have promised to end the disgrace. Residents say they’ve been forced to put up with no cooking or laundry facilities and an 11pm curfew.
A couple who moved into the Edinburgh hostel last year say they had to throw out £1500 of food because there are no proper storage facilities or a fridge.
Council housing convener Kate Campbell said: “We’re prioritising getting families out of B&Bs and improving conditions for people living in them... so that everyone will soon have access to food storage, the use of a kitchen and a washing machine.
“It will make a real difference and we should be able to make it happen pretty quickly.”
Homeless charity Shelter welcomed the news but said the council should have acted quicker, adding: “For far too many people in Edinburgh, temporary accommodation is not fit for purpose.”
They added that in the past year, their Edinburgh hub had seen increasing numbers of people placed in B&Bs with no access to food storage, cooking facilities or laundry facilities.