Edinburgh puts migrants first for social housing – Telegraph

Locals have seen their applications frozen as the Scottish capital grapples with a homelessness crisis The Labour-run city council in Edinburgh has been prioritizing homeless migrants for social housing, while putting thousands of requests from Scottish nationals on hold, the Telegraph has reported, citing the administration’s internal documents.The proportion of temporary accommodations provided to migrants in Scotland’s capital has grown from 1% to 16% since 2023, the paper said in an article on Friday.The foreigners were put atop the waiting line under a policy introduced in April 2025, the report read. Meanwhile, applications from some 31,000 locals remained frozen, it added.Edinburgh is facing a homelessness crisis, which has been exacerbated by the influx of migrants into Britain, the Telegraph said, citing the council’s internal documents. The number of homeless people in the city has surged by 75% over the last five years, it added. Many migrants whose asylum claims have been approved by the Home Office choose to come to Scotland in search of accommodation due to its liberal housing policies, according to the paper.Scotland abolished the “priority need” test in 2012, making...