PEOPLE in Clydebank on the brink of being made homeless will be given more support, the Scottish Government has announced.

Following extensive consultation on changes to homelessness laws, Holyrood ministers are set to move forward with a number of measures designed to help those who are most in need.

Public views were sought on a number of measures recommended by the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group last year, and opinions returned as part of the consultation have shown people to be in favour of the changes.

The first to be implemented later this year will drop the requirement for councils to ascertain if a person has been deliberately made homeless.

It is hoped this will make getting support easier for people dealing with financial or mental health issues.

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Another measure will also see the requirement for someone to demonstrate a link to that specific council area be dropped, allowing people to choose where they make their homelessness application.

The more detailed changes will be developed in the coming months with local authorities and other groups to ensure the best outcomes for people struggling to stay in their homes.

The news comes as the number of people who reported sleeping rough at least once in the three months before making a homelessness application to West Dunbartonshire Council jumped by 1,300 per cent in just one year.

In a story by the Post last week, new statistics revealed the number had jumped from just five in 2016-17 to 70 in 2017-18.

The figures, taken from a Scottish Government report, also stated that around 35 people had reported sleeping rough the night before making an application, a figure which had soared from zero the previous year.