Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan has criticised Nigel Farage's comments on asylum pressure on housing in Glasgow whilst acknowledging the authority "undoubtedly" faces pressure.
Speaking to The Herald today, Ms McAllan hit back at claims by the Reform UK leader that asylum seekers are being prioritised ahead of Scottish families for housing, branding the remarks “wrong” as she accused him of trying to “create division and hatred”.
During his trip to Scotland over the weekend in Falkirk, Mr Farage claimed the SNP had chosen to put people who arrive in the UK illegally “at the top of the housing list” over families in Glasgow and beyond.
The Housing Secretary rejected the claim today when posed to her.
“He is wrong,” she told The Herald, “Nigel Farage is a con man, he is an extraordinarily wealthy individual who comes to Scotland and who spreads misinformation and seeks to create division and hatred in our communities. At every stage, I personally, the SNP and the Scottish Government will stand against that.”
The comments come amid continued pressure on housing services in Glasgow. Scotland's largest city currently accommodates four times as many asylum seekers under UK Government plans. Around 92% of all asylum seekers in Scotland are currently living in the city.
A recent report by the UK Home Affairs Committee found that areas such as Glasgow continue to bear “disproportionate pressures” in terms of housing people seeking asylum.
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Ms McAllan acknowledged the strain on local services but said responsibility lay with UK Government policy rather than with those seeking refuge.
“There is pressure. There is undoubtedly pressure in Glasgow,” she said. “That is not the fault of the people seeking refuge from perilous situations throughout the world. It is the result of Home Office policy application in Scotland whereby the Home Office have for many years sat on asylum applications, created a hotels policy which has allowed people to languish in hotels and are now running through applications at a speed that councils like Glasgow are going to struggle to cope with and without sufficient resources.
“Scotland is a welcoming country, we will continue to be so and I will continue to make clear to the UK Government that their asylum policy is creating a strain on Glasgow and we have to support local authorities to offer the right support and integration measures that are required in those circumstances.”
UK minister have said recent plans such as the delayed Cameron Barracks proposals to house asylum seekers at a former military base Inverness will help ease pressure across Scotland.
UK Government spokesperson said: “We are working to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation such as military bases, to ease pressure on communities across the country.
“We are committed to supporting individuals granted leave to remain to successfully transition from asylum accommodation to mitigate the risk of homelessness.”
Asked whether the pressure currently experienced in Glasgow should be more evenly shared across Scotland, the Housing Secretary said she supported a wider distribution but stressed the importance of people being able to choose where they seek help.
“Yes, of course I do,” she said. “But the other thing is I think people should be able to make decisions about where they present as homeless. That’s part of a human rights-based approach to dealing with homelessness.
“There are many reasons why people would choose to be in Glasgow, not least established communities, English language provision and a whole series of other things that allow people to contribute to our society when they come.
“Of course we should share both the responsibility but also the opportunity of migration throughout the whole of the country.”
The interview also touched on the Scottish Government’s response to the wider housing emergency.
In September, ministers increased the housing budget to £808 million as part of the Housing Emergency Action Plan, including funding for councils to buy affordable family homes.
“What we will set out in the budget is the profile of that funding in respect of housing but the commitment has already been made,” Ms McAllan said.
She added that, since taking on the housing brief, there were early signs that recent policy changes were beginning to have an impact.
“My impression since I have taken over the brief is that there is a sense that through the Housing Emergency Action Plan, coupled with the Housing Act and both the stability that offered and the new homelessness protections it offered, that we are beginning to make a difference in the response to the housing emergency,” she said.
While progress varied between local authorities, she said the overall direction of travel was positive.
The Scottish Government has committed £4.9 billion towards housing over the next four years, which Ms McAllan described as a “significant uptick” in funding.
She said a renewed focus on affordable homes delivery would make “a big difference” in the years ahead.
Asked what clear sign of improvement she wanted to see, the Housing Secretary said reducing the number of children spending long periods in temporary accommodation was key.
“Fewer children spending longer periods in temporary accommodation, having the access to temporary accommodation but it being temporary and then being able to move into a warm, safe and affordable home on a permanent basis,” she said. “We are seeing improvements in that.”
The remarks were made during a visit to East Renfrewshire where Scotland’s first confidential helpline for women suffering economic abuse has been launched.
The Purple Phone Helpline is for victims and survivors of economic abuse, providing them with advice and helping them to recover.
Run by a charity called Financially Included, it will offer guidance on issues like safe bank accounts, access to benefits and coerced debt – where someone has been forced to take on debt by an abusive partner.
Earlier this year, women’s aid organisations urged MSPs to ensure that those leaving abusive relationships have access to comprehensive financial and legal advice.
The helpline is part of an economic abuse pilot project supported by Scottish Government funding of £171,656 for Financially Included to roll out the project.
Ms McAllan said the helpline will be an "invaluable source" of advice to women across Scotland who need help to escape or recover from economic abuse.
“Tackling violence against women and girls in all its forms is one of our key priorities, with investment of £21.6 million this year through the Delivering Equally Safe fund, to support specialist services like Financially Included, making a real difference to women’s lives.”
Amber Cully, Project manager at Financially Included, said: “Through this partnership, we will deliver training on recognising and responding to economic abuse, provide a second-tier advice service for frontline workers supporting victim-survivors.
“Using additional funding from the Scottish Government this year, we are expanding our work nationally, with East Renfrewshire the first area to commit to working with us in this way.
“Our vision is to grow this into a Scotland-wide network, ensuring a consistent, sustainable and trauma-informed response for victim-survivors across the country.”
The Purple Phone Helpline number is 0343 841 0132. It is open Monday 4.30pm to 7.30pm, Wednesday 10am to 1pm and Thursday 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
