HOUSING campaigners have called upon the Scottish Government to extend the winter eviction ban following the new lockdown restrictions.

Govan Law Centre (GLC) pressed the Scottish Government to protect people from homelessness for the month of January until yesterday’s new guidelines are looked at once again.

The ban was introduced on Friday December 11 and is set to last until January 22.

Tenants union Living Rent have echoed calls to extend the ban, saying that some of the members they represent may be at risk of eviction after January 22 if the ban is not lifted.

Mike Dailly from Govan Law Centre said: “When the Scottish government exercised its powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020 before Christmas to ban winter evictions it did so in response to the serious and imminent threat to public health which is posed by the incidence and spread of coronavirus in Scotland”.

“That threat is now clearly heightened and more pernicious than before. The thought of parents and children being made homeless during the height of the pandemic makes no sense. The logic for the eviction ban is now more compelling”

“A short extension to the eviction ban would be a proportionate public health response to the Covid-19 threat. It would help prevent additional burdens being placed on Scottish health and housing services, which are already stretched with staff having to work from home or self-isolate”

The Scottish Government was approached for comment.

However, in response to a question about the ban from Ross Greer MSP for West Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I know that is under consideration right now.

"I don’t want to pre-empt the final decision that the minister is in the process of taking and will set out in due course but can I just say and hopefully this will give a signal of the direction of travel that I agree with the sentiments expressed in the question.”