In a letter addressed to work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, Ms Somerville said she “warmly welcomes” Andy Burnham’s recent commitment to ending homelessness, but warned that Scotland’s progress was being undermined by Westminster policy.

She told Mr McFadden that “persistent UK policies including the Local Housing Allowance freeze and mismanagement of the asylum process” were holding back efforts north of the border, despite the Scottish Government investing a record £4.9 billion in affordable homes over the next four years.

Ms Somerville set out three demands for the UK Budget: scrapping the freeze on Local Housing Allowance; extending the “move-on period” for newly recognised refugees so they can secure permanent accommodation instead of being forced to present as homeless to their local authority; and providing funding to local authorities to support newly recognised refugees, in line with support already given for other refugee groups.

“We are taking action to mitigate the impact of the UK Government’s Local Housing Allowance freeze and benefit cap, but it is abundantly clear we need to have the right policies in place at the UK Government level too,” she wrote. “Working together we can end homelessness for good and therefore I urge you to take immediate action.”

The letter follows an announcement last month by Mr Burnham of extra funding to tackle homelessness, including plans to offer people sleeping rough a route off the streets this winter, and a national summit on rough sleeping due to take place in the autumn.