Perth homelessness cash ‘given to other Scottish cities instead’

Cash for homeless people in Perth and Kinross is being given to other Scottish cities instead, a leading councillor has claimed.

The housing committee convener, Liberal Democrat Peter Barrett, told colleagues that the Scottish Government had reduced the pot of money available to fund the council’s work to rehouse homeless people – only days after the charity Shelter described the Perth and Kinross approach as “sector leading”.

The government last month announced £23.5 million for local authorities to combat homelessness.

However, part of the money has been ring-fenced for projects in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling only.

Mr Barrett said: “I am concerned that our funding is being top sliced. It will now be channelled through five cities and local authorities, excluding Perth and Inverness, called pathfinder cities.”

“The irony of cities lagging well behind ourselves being designated as pathfinders and being awarded funding to deliver temporaryaccommodation solutions is not lost on me.

“I will be pushing the government to support the sorts of innovation and sector leadership that we can deliver.”

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said £6.5m of the total funding pot available to local authorities had been committed to areas where “homelessness numbers are highest”.

“Preventing and ending homelessness is a priority,” he said. “We value the impact Perth and Kinross has made to people’s lives and will continue engaging with them as we take forward our plans.”