A Labour MSP has backed a call for the Scottish Government to change the law to stop people from being evicted because of the so-called bedroom tax.
Lawyer Mike Dailly has put forward a petition to the Scottish Parliament demanding ministers stop evictions of people who have run up rent arrears after their housing benefit was cut because they were deemed to have additional rooms.
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie attended the Public Petitions Committee to speak in favour of the petition. She said Holyrood should be exercising its legislative powers to mitigate the effects of the cuts.
“This petition invites us to do so in a particular way and it looks at legislative protection for those falling into arrears as a consequence of the under-occupation element of the bedroom tax,” she said.
“And I think members would recognise that seeking to make anybody homeless carries a huge cost to the public purse, but also to those individuals as well.”
The cost of re-housing a family following eviction was quoted at around £24,000, Ms Baillie said.
“What I think this petition delivers is a consistent approach across Scotland, not just across local authorities but including registered social landlords as well,” she said.
“I do think there is something to consider here and to do so with a degree of urgency.”
According to Mr Dailly, of Govan Law Centre, a “minor amendment” to the Housing Scotland Act 2001 could be used to “prevent arrears created from the bedroom tax being relied upon to establish grounds for eviction”.
But Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has rejected calls from Labour for emergency legislation.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has been absolutely clear in its opposition to the bedroom tax and has already outlined a range of practical measures to help mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable in our society.
“Housing Minister Margaret Burgess has written to all social landlords to encourage them to follow the example of Dundee City Council which has agreed to use all legitimate means to collect rent, except eviction, for people in arrears because of the bedroom tax after the director of housing has examined individual cases.
“We have also brought forward measures to make eviction a last resort for social landlords, by ensuring that eviction actions can only be brought to court after they have gone through a number of steps, including income maximisation, early intervention and support for vulnerable tenants.
“And last month the Deputy First Minister announced an extra £2.5 million for social landlords across Scotland to help them provide additional advice and support to those tenants who will lose out under the bedroom tax.”
The committee agreed to continue the petition and write to the Scottish Government, Cosla, Department for Work and Pensions, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee.