Cutting frequency of homelessness death stats a ‘scandal,’ say Scottish Greens

Labour Party / 28 October 2026 Budget failed to exorcise ‘ghost of Thatcher,’ say STUC 28 October 2026 Nato / 28 October 2026 Unions ‘concerned' by spending cuts to fill £4.7bn defence plan blackhole 28 October 2026 Climate Costs / 28 October 2026 Greens hit out at Budget as reports of Rosebank green light assumptions 28 October 2026 Palestine Solidarity / 28 October 2026 Manchester protesters gather in emergency action against West Bank attacks 28 October 2026 IWGB / 28 October 2026 Rockstar workers could ‘make gaming history’ with ballot to win union recognition 28 October 2026 Environment / 28 October 2026 Climate change should be formally declared global health emergency, experts say 28 October 2026 A SCOTTISH Green MSP today branded a plan to publish numbers of homelessness deaths every two years rather than annually a “scandal.”

The move was revealed in answer to a Holyrood parliamentary question on Thursday, as ministers launched a six-week consultation on the change.

According to the National Records of Scotland (NRS), deaths in homelessness soared by 40 per cent between 2017 and 2024 to 231, while latest figures show nearly 3,000 households had slept rough in 2025-26 the day before they applied for homelessness support despite a national housing emergency being declared in May 2024.

Scottish Green MSP Iris Duane said: “Every statistic gathered is more than just a number.

“These are real people who deserve dignity and a safe place to call home like every one of us.

“Just because we don’t publish the numbers does not mean they are not being felt.

“Every loss is a life, a story and a failed opportunity for the government to end the scandal of homelessness.”

The Glasgow region MSP added: “Too often, every statistic is a person failed by systems that should have been there to support them much earlier, in order to prevent homelessness in the first instance.

“The Scottish government can do so much more to prevent homeless deaths.

“Starting with a public health approach, and properly funded, integrated public services including mental health and addiction support, person-centred social care and a trauma-informed justice system.

“But they also need to ensure that NRS keeps sharing that data annually, to ensure that every measure taken is working to end homelessness and deaths related to being unhoused.”

A Scottish government spokesperson responded: “Every death of a person experiencing homelessness highlights its unacceptable cost.

“We are taking decisive action to shift our approach from crisis management to prevention, backed by our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Fund, the delivery of 1,500 Housing First tenancies and our £2m support for Social Bite’s efforts to address homelessness.”

A spokesperson for NRS added: “NRS has invited feedback on proposed changes to our statistical publication programme.

“People whose work is impacted by the suggested changes in frequency or format of publications are asked to send their views to us by December 3.”