Dundee councillor welcomes minister's move to end sex offender housing row
Veteran Dundee councillor Ian Borthwick has welcomed the Scottish Government's assurance that sex offenders will not be given top priority for public sector housing.
- By Andrew Argo
- Published in the Courier : 30.01.12
- Published online : 30.01.12 @ 05.42pm
The independent member was commenting on housing minister Keith Brown's move to order housing officials to re-word and re-issue guidance to councils and other housing organisations on the sensitive issue.
The original guidance was that housing applications from homeless sex offenders should be treated as a priority because those without accommodation would be difficult to monitor and could pose a danger to the public if they escaped scrutiny.
It also said sex offenders should normally be housed in mainstream properties within their own council area.
Victim groups and others were alarmed, thinking it could mean sex offenders could be considered for high-quality vacant lets before law-abiding tenants.
Peter Saunders, chief executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said that if sex offenders were considered a threat after their release from prison they should be tagged and kept in secure accommodation.
Social landlords should not have to take responsibility for housing and monitoring them or give them priority over others, he added.
Mr Brown said: ''I have instructed my officials to change the guidance wording immediately. There has never been the intention to offer priority to sex offenders because of their offence, but I will ensure that there is absolutely no ambiguity in the guidance.
''My officials will also contact the victims' groups and the responsible authorities about the revised guidance to put their minds at rest.''
Mr Borthwick, Dundee's deputy lord provost and councillor for Strathmartine ward, said: ''It is good that the original advice has been rescinded and I welcome this development. This issue has the potential to create considerable anxiety, and I am pleased that steps have been taken to resolve the issue.
''Clearly, however, the effective monitoring of these offenders in our community must be maintained.''
07.47pm - 30.01.2012 Thornindaside - perth, scotland Report This
They still get priority if they are accepted as homeless. Many would be unemployable if potential employers had knowledge of their offences.Very few private landlords accept unemployed or on housing benefit.Bit of a waste of re-wording if as usual council/house assc tenants get stuck with them.
Add a comment