Why we are engaging with South Lanarkshire Council (South Lanarkshire)
We are engaging with South Lanarkshire about its services for people who are homeless, its site(s) for Gypsy/Travellers and tenant and resident safety.
During 2024/25, we reviewed and compared the data for all local authorities from the Scottish Government’s national homelessness statistics. We also spoke to all local authorities to gather further information and assurance about their homelessness services. To assess the risks to people who are threatened with or experiencing homelessness we will engage with all local authorities during 2025/26 with a focus on the provision of appropriate temporary accommodation.
We will engage with South Lanarkshire in particular about the following areas:
- how people access the homelessness services provided by South Lanarkshire; and
- the provision of temporary accommodation by South Lanarkshire to people who are homeless.
All social landlords who provide Gypsy/Travellers sites must ensure their site(s) meet the Scottish Government’s Minimum Site Standards and all standards and outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter. To gather further information and assurance, we will speak to all site providers during 2025/26 to discuss the management of their site(s).
South Lanarkshire does not fully comply with electrical safety and fire detection requirements which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. South Lanarkshire is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports and to install integrated smoke and heat alarms in all of its tenants’ homes.
We are engaging with South Lanarkshire to monitor its progress in completing this outstanding work as quickly as possible and maintaining future compliance.
What South Lanarkshire must do
South Lanarkshire must:
- send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service;
- tell us about any emerging issues preventing it from fulfilling its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- send us the information we require in relation to the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- complete the outstanding electrical and fire safety work as quickly as possible;
- by 30 April 2025, send us a plan for how it will complete the outstanding electrical and fire safety work, including timescales, and how it will maintain future compliance; and
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information South Lanarkshire provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with South Lanarkshire by 31 July 2025 to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with South Lanarkshire to seek assurance if it does not provide temporary accommodation when it should, or if it breaches the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- meet with South Lanarkshire to discuss the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- review South Lanarkshire’s progress with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety and fire detection requirements and engage as necessary; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with South Lanarkshire.
Regulatory Returns
South Lanarkshire must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns:
- Annual Assurance Statement; and
- Annual Return on the Charter.
It should also notify us of any material changes to its Annual Assurance Statement, and any tenant and resident safety matter which has been reported to or is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive or reports from regulatory or statutory authorities or insurance providers, relating to safety concerns.