A SCOTTISH council has hit out at "entirely false" media claims that asylum seekers were being prioritised for housing.
Edinburgh Council on Tuesday issued a statement rejecting the "misinformation" – stating that it does not even house asylum seekers as their accommodation is managed by the UK Government's Home Office.
It comes after The Telegraph last week reported that asylum seekers who had their applications to remain in the UK accepted (meaning they become newly recognised refugees) were effectively being given priority for council housing.
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Once a person has their asylum application accepted, they can lose their Home Office-provided accommodation and become homeless. Homeless people, disabled people, and those at risk of violence are treated as higher priority for social housing than ordinary applicants, many of whom have had their requests paused due to a backlog in the higher-priority groups.
At the time, Scottish Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said it was false to claim refugees were being prioritised.
"Scotland has some of the strongest homelessness rights in the world, and we will not roll these back," she added. "The Home Office must properly fund its asylum processes and ensure newly recognised refugees and communities can be supported."
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