Numerous homeless people in Edinburgh, Scotland, have to temporarily leave their emergency accommodation. The hotels want to rent out the rooms during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
The British newspaper “ Mirror ” reports that homeless people in Edinburgh are being denied emergency accommodation due to the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts. Hotel rooms that are normally used as emergency accommodation are now being rented out to fans of the US superstar who are flocking to the city for her concerts.
According to the Mirror, some hotels have drastically increased their prices, in some cases to over 600 pounds (around 705 euros) per night. Normally, these rooms would have been made available to homeless people, as Edinburgh City Council is obliged by an agreement to find temporary accommodation for homeless people.
Yet, according to reports from the Mirror, people who would normally get a room are being sent temporarily to other cities in Scotland, nearly three hours’ drive north, to find accommodation. A homeless charity reported that homeless people are being sent by taxi to Aberdeen and Glasgow. One person even received an offer of accommodation in Newcastle, according to the Mirror.
The aid organisation Shelter Scotland describes it as a “blatant injustice” that homeless people are being displaced to create sleeping spaces for concert-goers. “It simply should not be the case that hosting a major event at Murrayfield has a significant impact on people experiencing homelessness in Edinburgh,” the Mirror quoted Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland, as saying.
Edinburgh City Council declared a housing crisis emergency in November last year. This was declared due to record levels of homelessness, a severe shortage of social housing and rising private rental costs, the British newspaper reports.
A city councillor stressed that the use of tourist accommodation to house homeless households is only an emergency solution and is only used reluctantly and as a last resort.
This year, three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts will take place at Murrayfield Stadium in the Scottish capital. Around 67,000 fans are expected at each concert. During her “The Eras” tour, the pop singer will play 152 concerts around the world.
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