Labour claim £29m ‘drained’ from Scottish housing budget

Scottish Labour has accused the Scottish Government of “draining” £29 million from the housing budget by handing Help-to-Buy fees to other spending departments.

Fees paid to the Scottish Government when people who have had support from the Help-to-Buy scheme sell their home have not been retained in the housing budget.

Labour said the cash should have been ring-fenced for rough sleeping and homelessness initiatives.

Scottish Labour’s housing spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “This Help to Buy windfall for the government should have been used to invest initiatives to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

“The last Labour government introduced world leading homelessness legislation but too many vulnerable people are slipping through the cracks now.

“That’s why we want to see more comprehensive monitoring of rough sleeping and will look at a ban on winter evictions.

“But a vital place to start is to simply ensure the housing budget is being spent properly.”