By STEWART PATERSON

Political Correspondent

EVICTIONS should be banned over the winter months to tackle homelessness according the Labour leader Richard Leonard.

Mr Leonard called on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to consider a ban as the country is in the grip of extreme weather.

He told Ms Sturgeon that evictions are banned in France between November and March and asked for a commitment to consider introducing a similar law in Scotland.

Mr Leonard said: “The extreme weather has brought Scotland’s transport system grinding to a halt. However, it is not just our road and rail networks that are affected by this weather.

“The campaign group Living Rent has proposed a change in the law to ban winter evictions. It stops people being thrown onto the streets when temperatures drop. Such a measure in Scotland would save lives.

“Labour will consider banning winter evictions as part of our housing reform policy – I hope the Scottish government consider doing the same.”

Mr Leonard said rough sleeping is on the increase in cities across Scotland there is no definite number and the true scale of the problem is not known.

Ms Sturgeon said the government accepted the recommendations of the Homelessness and rough Sleeping action group and said she would commit to considering the policy as a response to what she said everyone considered to be a serious issue.

She also said: “As long as one person is sleeping rough we still have work to do.”