Over 60,000 people waiting for social housing across Glasgow

More than 60,000 people have been listed as waiting on social housing in Glasgow, recent statistics show.

Housing Associations in the city held about 64,500 applications on registers according to information collected by the council in 2022.

The number is equivalent to “Ten applicants waiting on housing registers for every home let during the previous 12 months,” the council’s draft local housing strategy said.

The strategy for 2023 to 2028 aims to build 6,500 affordable new homes over the next five years.

But councillor Graham Campbell, SNP, questioned whether that was enough considering the huge demand for cheaper homes to rent in the city.

Asking how officials had come up with the numbers, he said: “There is a big disparity between the number of applicants we have for social housing” “compared to what we are trying to build to address that.”

Speaking at the economy, housing, transport and regeneration city policy committee last week, he added: “Obviously we can’t build all the houses we really require but give us a rationale for why that level of provision was arrived at.”

An official said: “We have looked at the pressures with homelessness, pressures with Ukrainian households coming into the city and what we know of what is deliverable in terms of the affordable housing grant that we get for the city. We have come up with a target through that, which will go someway towards meeting the housing need in the city. We are keen to invest as much as possible in terms of meeting housing need in the city.”

Explaining more about the background, the council officer also said the housing needs demand assessment is carried out with other local authorities in the area and it adheres to Scottish Government guidance.

She said the number of new home targets might appear “low” but it looks at population projections and affordability to determine affordable housing needs.

There are about 110,000 homes provided by Registered Social Landlords in Glasgow.

While there were 64,583 applicants listed as looking for affordable homes according to the 2022 statistics – only 6,789 lets occurred during the previous 12 months according to the council’s latest draft local housing strategy .

The statistic relates to about three quarters of all social housing in the city.

The council draft housing strategy said: “In 2022, Glasgow City Council engaged with RSL partners to collate and analyse housing register data to determine the nature and extent of need and demand for social housing in Glasgow.

“This covered 83,000 social rented homes, 77 per cent of all social housing supply in Glasgow. This housing pressure analysis indicated there were over 64,000 applications held on registered social landlord housing registers across the city and an equivalent of ten applicants waiting on housing registers for every home let during the previous 12 months.”

A consultation is due to take place on the local housing strategy before it is adopted.

A total of 13,000 newly built homes are to be delivered in the city – with half that number to be affordable.

The housing strategy also aims to improve the energy efficiency of Glasgow’s homes and the condition of the properties.