Edinburgh Fringe period 'time for dread' for homeless people

The Herald Scotland

4 days ago

Edinburgh City Council has since confirmed the festival and other events in August would not impact accommodation provision.
Writing in The Herald today, however, the director of Shelter Scotland said: "The Festival Fringe, Oasis and AC/DC [is] set to bring millions to Scotland's capital.
"For those relying on temporary accommodation in hotels and B&B's, August is not a time for celebration. It is a time for dread.
'We've seen it before. People experiencing homelessness, placed in such accommodation by The City of Edinburgh Council are uprooted with little notice, to make room for tourists.'
She added it 'doesn't have to be this way', saying both the council and the Scottish Government could plan ahead as August is a notoriously busy time for tourists in the city.
Ms Watson said: 'There is time to prepare, yet we are seeing no real plan to protect those on the sharp end of the housing emergency.'
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Her comments come as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will begin on Friday August 1, with thousands of tourists and performers expected to swarm into the city for the whole month.
Other big events such as Oasis and AC/DC concerts are set to bring in further numbers to Edinburgh in August.
Last year, Shelter Scotland said several homeless people it supports had been sent out of the city via taxi to Aberdeen and Glasgow amid a shortage in accommodation when Taylor Swift performed at Murrayfield in Summer last year.
The charity even reported that one person was offered temporary accommodation as far away as Newcastle during the Global artist's visit.
Edinburgh City Council said at the time that it was 'absolutely not' moving tenants out of temporary accommodation to make way for Taylor Swift fans but also added that it may struggle to get rooms booked due to demand.
In 2023, Edinburgh City Council declared a housing emergency, citing record homelessness figures, a severe shortage of social rented homes and spiralling private rental costs.
Ms Watson said there is also 'little in place' to stop the households placed in hotel and B&B accommodation being 'pushed out'.
Shelter Scotland has campaigned against Edinburgh City Council's use of unlicensed HMO accommodation to house some homeless households.
The charity boss said a reduction in the number of hotel and B&B accommodation being relied upon since then has been a "welcome move", however said "there is more to be done."
She added: "We continue to see it be used with data showing many households were living in B&Bs and hotels in Edinburgh in June 2025.
"We also continue to see people being moved to accommodation outside of Edinburgh or forced to sleep rough due to the sheer lack of social housing. Nobody should be in this position, but it is the devastating reality due to the choices of politicians."
Ms Watson said "without urgent action", many homeless households will be at risk as tourists coming to see shows, comedians and Oasis and AC/DC fans flood to the city.
She added: "These massive events are an exciting time for Edinburgh, but they shouldn't come at the expense of those with nowhere else to go.
"The Council and Scottish Government need to be prepared to protect those experiencing homelessness while accommodating for the thousands of tourists.
"We know the City of Edinburgh Council can't do it on its own, it desperately needs the funding and resources from the Scottish Government to tackle the housing emergency."
Edinburgh City Council confirmed to The Herald events in August wouldn't affect their ability to provide temporary accommodation to those in need.
It is understood most of the council's accommodation is now commissioned and they only book hotels on rare occasions.
The Scottish Government has said they will invest £768 million this financial year in the affordable housing programme, including £40m targeted towards acquisitions to support local authorities to tackle temporary accommodation pressures.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: 'Having a safe, warm and affordable place to call home is critical to a life of dignity and opportunity. Every council in Scotland has the legal duty to provide accommodation for anyone facing homelessness. I have recently met with the City of Edinburgh Council to hear more on their work to reduce the number of families spending long periods in temporary accommodation.
'A major key to reducing the numbers in temporary accommodation is delivering affordable homes. We have a good track record in this, but we must now step up our efforts.
'I am also focused on preventing homelessness in the first place. Local authorities will be provided with £15 billion this financial year for a range of services, including in homelessness services. There is also an additional £4 million invested in the Ending Homelessness Together budget for 2025-26 to help local authorities, frontline services and relevant partners prepare for the new homelessness prevention duties in the Housing Bill.'