Drug-user claims over homeless shelter rejected

Claims turning council offices into homeless accommodation would create a “refuge for drug users and alcoholics” have been dismissed by local authority officials.

Midlothian Council held a public consultation into plans to convert offices at Jarnac Court, Dalkeith, into a temporary homeless shelter. Officials say a petition, which was signed by 259 people, “inaccurately” described the shelter as a haven for addicts.