Foreign station BBC reports that an unusual situation occurred in Edinburgh. The city authorities decided to transport “a certain number” of homeless people to other towns, just before the concerts Taylor Swift. The world-famous star will perform in the capital of Scotland on June 7, 8 and 9.
Organization Shelter Scotland, which helps people in crisis of homelessness, informed the media about the situation. It turned out that several of their protégés had been sent to Aberdeen and Glasgow in taxis. One of the people even ended up in Newcastle, which is hundreds of kilometers away from Edinburgh.
“People needing a place to stay overnight are being told their only option is to leave the city,” said one person working for Shelter Scotland.
Why were homeless people taken out of the city? The problem is accommodation facilities and a shortage of places to sleep. Many tourists come to each city for Taylor Swift concerts. Some fans try to get the best accommodation possible, while others look for bargains and the cheapest prices. The Edinburgh authorities noticed that there may not be enough apartments or sleeping rooms in the city to accommodate all the artist's fans and people in need.
The BBC draws attention to the fact that people considered homeless in Scotland must, by law, be provided with emergency temporary accommodation. This means that – when they have nowhere to sleep – the city must provide them with a temporary place to stay (for a period of 7 days). In Edinburgh, all hotels are booked for the next few days, which means that the city authorities are forced to look for accommodation for the homeless elsewhere.
Shelter Scotland said it was a huge injustice that people experiencing homelessness had to “compete directly” with tourists coming to the concert. The City of Edinburgh Council says it is working with those affected and trying to find “suitable alternative accommodation”.
The situation that is taking place in Edinburgh during Taylor Swift's concerts proves that Scotland has a huge problem with the housing crisis. In November 2023, the Scottish capital announced that homelessness rates were reaching record highs. The city suffers from a shortage of social rented premises, and private rental prices are rising rapidly.