Scottish Labour tabled a motion that read “that the Parliament agrees Scotland is experiencing a housing emergency” and called on the SNP and the Greens to address the issues facing housing in their upcoming Housing Bill.

However, the motion was defeated by a Scottish Government amendment which instead “recognises significant pressures with homelessness and temporary accommodation”.

Housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland had urged MSPs to declare a housing emergency and commit to developing an action plan to fight it.

It pointed to record numbers of children trapped in temporary accommodation, the fact that 45 children become homeless every day, and a household becoming homeless every 16 minutes as evidence of a housing emergency in Scotland.

Shelter Scotland director, Alison Watson, said: “This is a sad day for Scotland as MSPs failed to take the chance to declare a housing emergency.

“Scotland’s housing emergency is spiralling out of control: rents are soaring, record numbers of children have nowhere to call home, more and more people are becoming homeless.

“If 45 kids becoming homeless every single day isn’t an emergency, then what is?

“It’s clear now that the Scottish Government are in denial. Tonight, they have told the people of Scotland that the housing emergency doesn’t exist, while communities across the country have to deal with its consequences every day.

“They doubled down on existing plans which demonstrably aren’t working, they’ve given us no reason to believe they even understand the scale of the problem, and certainly no reason to think they‘re willing to take anything like the kind of action needed to fix it.

“Everyone in Scotland has a right to feel let down by their representatives today.”

Home building body Homes for Scotland said the outcome was a lost opportunity.

Homes for Scotland chief executive Jane Wood added: “In the context of our capital city having recently followed Argyll & Bute in declaring a housing emergency and a shortfall of +114,000 new homes having accumulated across Scotland since 2008, it has never been more important to consider how we meet the country’s housing needs.

“We must stop going round in circles and find transformational solutions. Today’s debate underscored the importance of this and there were many passionate points made, but the agreed amendment is, to say the least, underwhelming. Given the scale of the problem facing our rural and urban communities, it’s a missed opportunity. Scotland’s people deserve better.”