The Scottish Housing Regulator has today published the findings of its inquiry into Glasgow City Council’s services for people experiencing homelessness.
The inquiry found that the Council has made some important improvements to its service since the Regulator’s last inquiry. The Council has also ensured that it offers temporary accommodation to almost all people who require it during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
The inquiry also found that before the pandemic the Council did not ensure that it had enough suitable temporary accommodation. It did not provide temporary accommodation to significant numbers of people when they needed it. In some cases, the people not accommodated were vulnerable and had approached the Council for accommodation on multiple occasions.
The Regulator planned to carry out its inquiry between December 2019 and May 2020 but was unable to undertake the full range of work due to the pandemic. The report sets out the findings from its work before the pandemic, where its focus was the Council’s compliance with its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation and the Council’s response to the Regulator’s last inquiry in March 2018. The report also describes how the Council’s service has responded to the pandemic and the significant challenges the Council now faces to provide temporary accommodation and settled accommodation.
Michael Cameron, the Regulator’s Chief Executive said,
“The Council has undertaken and continues to undertake a wide programme of improvement and transformation activity as part of its Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. It has made some important improvements in its service.
The Council should address the weaknesses we identified in its approach to temporary accommodation to help it build on and sustain compliance with its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation and prepare for the extension of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order. It should ensure that it has an adequate level of suitable temporary accommodation which meets the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness.
We expect the Council to ensure that its recovery plans address the weaknesses in its approach to temporary accommodation”.
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April 2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and RSL housing services. The Regulator operates independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator consists of the Chair and seven Board members. More information about the Regulator can be found on its website at housingregulator.gov.scot
- SHR sets out how it regulates social landlords in its published framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.
- The Regulator published a report Housing people who are homeless in Glasgow on the Council in March 2018 which made recommendations for improvement in the Council’s performance in delivering services to people who are homeless.