Alison Watson has called on the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council to take urgent action to mitigate the pressure placed on housing during August, when the city hosts the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and major concerts, including performances by Oasis and AC/DC.

Despite reassurances from the local authority that events will not impact housing provision, Watson expressed deep concern in an article for The Herald, stating: “For those relying on temporary accommodation in hotels and B&BS, August is not a time for celebration. It is a time for dread. We’ve seen it before. People experiencing homelessness, placed in such accommodation by The City of Edinburgh Council are uprooted with little notice, to make room for tourists.”

She emphasised that the situation is avoidable, urging both local and national authorities to plan more effectively for the city’s busiest tourism season.

Ms Watson said: “There is time to prepare, yet we are seeing no real plan to protect those on the sharp end of the housing emergency.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicked off last week, drawing thousands of performers and visitors to the city. However, for those without stable housing, the influx adds another layer of uncertainty.

Last year, Shelter Scotland reported that several of the people it supports were relocated out of Edinburgh by taxi to cities like Aberdeen and Glasgow due to a shortage of available accommodation, coinciding with Taylor Swift’s concert at Murrayfield. In one case, a person was reportedly offered temporary accommodation as far away as Newcastle.

At the time, the council denied that people were being moved specifically to accommodate concertgoers but acknowledged that high demand made securing rooms challenging.

Responding to the ongoing crisis, housing secretary Màiri McAllan said: “I have recently met with the City of Edinburgh Council to hear more on their work to reduce the number of families spending long periods in temporary accommodation.

“A major key to reducing the numbers in temporary accommodation is delivering affordable homes. We have a good track record in this, but we must now step up our efforts. We will invest £768 million this year in the affordable housing programme.”