MORE than 1500 homeless Scots children under 10 are set to spend Christmas in temporary accommodation, according to the latest local authority figures.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who uncovered the figures through freedom of information (FoI), said it reflected "the shocking extent of Scotland's housing crisis".
However, as one-third of councils failed to reply to the LibDems' FoI requests, the true numbers, which refer to households in temporary accommodation with under-10s, could be much higher.
The largest numbers of such families were in Glasgow (471), followed by Edinburgh (281) and South Lanarkshire (175).
LibDem MSP Jim Hume urged the Scottish Government to build more homes for social rent, reversing the recent decline in home completions in the sector.
He said: "It is appalling that over 1500 children under the age of 10 will spend Christmas in temporary accommodation.
"Temporary accommodation can include housing such as B&Bs and hostels. While households with young children continue to languish on waiting lists for socially rented housing, the number of completions continues to decline on the SNP's watch.
"We remain concerned that this situation will only worsen ahead of right to buy reaching an end in 2017. Safe, warm housing is the bedrock for stable family settings. We stand fully behind Shelter Scotland in their campaign to get the Scottish Government to build more homes for social rent."
The Scottish Government yesterday announced an extra £2.3 million in grants to help the elderly, disabled, refugees, asylum-seekers and new migrants find homes and live independently.
Thirty-two projects will benefit from the Housing Voluntary Grant Scheme in 2015-16.
Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said: "It is heart-breaking that in a country as prosperous as Scotland some people do not have the support they need.
"Whether it's through working with the elderly, veterans, young people or asylum-seekers, each of these 32 projects is closing this inequality gap, and tackling prejudice and discrimination."
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