Stop the evictions!

CRISIS: campaigners demand an end to the eviction of families

Campaigners resisting the evictions of families due to the Benefits Cap are protesting at the full meeting of City of Edinburgh Council thios morning.  Deputations from North Edinburgh’s All About Me and Power to the People groups will demand the council take action on the crisis.  Last month the campaigners occupied both Council offices and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson’s constituency office to demand housing for homeless families.

In a letter to city councillors the deputations say:

“All About Me group involves/ is working with at least 13 families, including 35 children, who either face eviction from their privately rented homes in North Edinburgh due to the Benefits Cap, or who have already been evicted. Some are at this moment in appalling homeless hostels, others are sleeping on relative’s sofas. Some face losing their homes imminently.

Many families thoughout the city are in this situation too, and unless something is done more families will be made homeless as they are unable to pay their rent due to drastic reductions in their Housing Benefit.  More families are getting in touch every week – this is a crisis.“ 

The deputations are demanding the Council take action to stop the evictions. They call for the families’ Housing Benefit to be fully restored through Discretionary Housing Payments. They are insisting that families must never be put in homeless hostels but instead found temporary flats in the local área, while they wait for permanent housing.  Homeless families are currently being offered hostel accommodation as far away as Motherwell and Fife.

The deputations also call for more social housing.  They denounce the fact that the new Pennywell / Muirhouse developments mean a 70 per cent reduction in social housing, with only 30 per cent of the new homes regular council housing.  The regulation of private sector rents, the swift repair of empty homes and a significant improvement to standards of temporary accommodation are among other demands.

A spokesperson said: “We are campaigning for the Westminster Government to scrap the Benefits Cap completely.  But right now the Council has a duty to act to stop families and children suffering the trauma of homelessness and totally unsuitable homeless hostels – the Council must act now to stop the evictions.  Our actions will continue till we achieve justice.”

The council meeting starts at 10am and is open to members of the public.