Ludo Thierry writes:
Some stats on Homelessnes/Homlessness applications in Scotland were published today. I’ve no quibble with the beeb Scotland article – which seems broadly accurate – but, I would suggest, has missed a few of the more encouraging fine-grain numbers in the reports. Worth checking the fuller details at the news.gov.scot site. Link and snippets below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48771698
Homelessness applications on the rise in Scotland
https://news.gov.scot/news/homelessness-and-housing-options-statistics-published-5
Homelessness in Scotland: 2018/19 publication presents information on local authority homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes in the period from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019: Scottish local authorities received 36,465 applications for homelessness assistance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, 3% higher than the same period during 2017/18.
The annual increase in homelessness applications follows a slight increase last year and eight consecutive annual decreases seen in the preceding years (from a peak of 60,298 in 2005/06 to 34,726 in 2016/17).
1,744 of those assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness were assessed as repeated homeless. This was 5.8% of those assessed, a proportion that has fallen from 7.0% in 2014/15.
Outcomes
• 71% of those assessed as unintentionally homeless or threatened with homelessness secured settled accommodation. This proportion has risen consistently from 48% in 2002/03.
Housing Options (PREVENT1) Statistics in Scotland: 2018/19: Housing Options has been described as: “a process which starts with housing advice when someone approaches a local authority with a housing problem. This means looking at an individual’s options and choices in the widest sense. This approach features early intervention and explores all possible tenure options, including council housing, housing associations and the private rented sector.
The advice can also cover personal circumstances which may not necessarily be housing related, such as debt advice, mediation and mental health issues”.
In the last year (1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019), there were 42,850 approaches recorded. Compared with the same period one year ago, there has been a reduction of 2,995 approaches across Scotland (-7%).
Despite the overall reduction in Housing Options approaches when comparing 2018/19 with 2017/18, the proportion of approaches made for homelessness type reasons (59%) versus prevention type reasons (41%) has fallen across these two years. In 2017/18 61% of approaches were for homelessness type reasons.
Talking-up Scotland 
Hi John et al – Noticed a piece on beeb Scotland re. Scottish and Southern choosing to invest £2 billion in the Scottish power distribution network. Notice the fabulous stats included, of course, in the final paras of a longish article!): Link and snippet below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-48784637
Record level
An expansion in onshore and offshore wind is forecast along the east coast but the electricity will need to be transported to the largest population centres around Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A new cable, importing electricity from Norway, is expected to be connected to the network at Peterhead in 2023.
The investment means the amount of renewable electricity which can be transmitted on the network will increase from 6 to 10 GigaWatts, enough to power 10 million homes.
New figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that renewable electricity generation has reached a record level.
In the first quarter of 2019, around 8,877 GWh was generated in Scotland which is enough to power 88% of Scottish households.
That represents a 17% increase in capacity year-on-year.
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Confess I hadn’t previously appreciated quite what a difference exists in the ‘reach’ (more extensive scope and eligibility) of Scotland’s civil Legal Aid system as compared to that available to our cousins in England. Link and snippet from news.gov.scot below:
https://news.gov.scot/news/modernising-legal-aid
The public is being asked to give their views on how to ensure current legal aid provision meets the needs of modern Scotland.
Ministers want to ensure the system is user-focused, flexible and valued as a public service.
A consultation, based on recommendations from an independent review of legal aid and running until 19 September, will consider how the use of targeted interventions could remove the barriers some people may face in accessing legal aid.
The paper also asks whether the availability of funding should be extended to groups with a common interest in legal proceedings, such as Fatal Accident Inquiries.
Background: Scotland’s legal aid spend per head is among the highest in the European Union and has both the widest scope and eligibility.
For civil legal aid the Ministry of Justice estimates 25% of the population of England and Wales are eligible within current scope. The Scottish Legal Aid Board estimates that 75% of Scotland’s population is financially eligible for civil legal aid.
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