SCOTLAND faces a housing emergency, the SNP government conceded today following sustained pressure from campaigners.

Its decision to declare a housing emergency came after months of urging from Shelter Scotland and after five councils, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, had made such a declaration and were joined by the STUC last month.

The latest figures show that a staggering 30,724 households had a live homeless application as of September 2023, up 10 per cent on a year earlier, and that 9,860 children were living in temporary accommodation, a rise of 8 per cent over the same period.