Fife faces housing headache after judge’s ruling warns MSP

Fife Council could be facing a major housing headache after a judge ruled its occupancy agreement for temporary accommodation was flawed, an MSP has claimed.
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Shirley-Anne Somerville’s comments came after a judgement at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in March, means that all homeless households in the Kingdom are now effectively secure tenants.

The original agreement had been challenged by Shelter Scotland.

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She said that according to figures from the local authority, there are currently more than 930 households living in temporary accommodation.

The concerns come after a court judgementThe concerns come after a court judgement
The concerns come after a court judgement
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A briefing note from the Council also admitted that normal housing allocations will be "constrained" for the next 12 months, as a result.

The Dunfermline MSP has submitted a list of urgent questions to the council.

She added: “"This decision will clearly have very significant implications moving forward.

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"We need to know what impact this will have for those currently on the housing waiting list and how the local authority plan to support people making homelessness applications in future.”

John Mills, head of housing service John Mills said: "We are working through an implementation plan over the next 12 months to make sure we respect the court's judgement, and that we provide homeless people in temporary accommodation, permanent accommodation that meets their needs."