Housing emergency declared in constituency of SNP Housing Minister Paul McLennan

A Scots local authority has declared a housing emergency in an area represented at Holyrood by the SNP's Housing Minister.East Lothian Council announced the decision after warning that an expected Scottish Government funding cut meant they could no longer invest in sites for new builds.The move is embarrassing for East Lothian MSP Paul McLennan, who has faced calls to resign from opposition parties from his role as Housing Minister.A total of 13 councils across the country have now declared housing emergencies in various forms, meaning they can no longer meet local demand for affordable accommodation.It comes as a record number of children in Scotland are currently living in temporary accommodation.The meeting was told East Lothian had become a "victim of its own success" after receiving £12 million a year in funds as part of its Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIP) before it dropped to just £7 million last year.The report said: “If investment were available to deliver all of the projects set out in the SHIP a total of 1,566 unit could complete over the next five years.“Based on the actual allocation received, there is a very high risk that we could lose 1,226 units of affordable housing.”Officers had initially invited councillors to declare a housing emergency but brought an amended proposal to them describing it as an ‘affordable housing emergency’ to reflect the concerns about losing the sites.Councillor Andy Forrest, Labour cabinet housing spokesperson, moved a motion calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to their declaration of such an emergency saying “it requires an urgent response to ensure we do not lose affordable housing units available through our Section 75 obligations”.SNP councillor Lee-Anne