A LOCAL authority failed in its legal duties to homeless people before the coronavirus pandemic, according to an inquiry.
The Scottish Housing Regulator said in its report on the investigation that Glasgow City Council “failed to comply with its statutory duty to offer temporary accommodation in nearly one in three occasions when people required it” in 2019-20. It also found the council did not ensure it had enough suitable temporary accommodation even before Covid-19 struck.
The report highlights “alarming evidence” of families with children being turned away without accommodation and the council knowing of single people sleeping on the streets.
It says: “During 2019-20, the council told us that it failed to offer temporary accommodation on 3786 instances when households required it, which was lower than the 3835 it reported to the Scottish Government and which was an increase of 445 on the previous year.
“This means the council failed to comply with its statutory duty to offer temporary accommodation in nearly one in three occasions when people required it. The council told us that this related to 1471 households.”
The inquiry was announced last year after Shelter Scotland started legal action against Glasgow City Council over the practice of “gatekeeping” – when a homeless person is denied access to services – and other “failings” at the local authority.
Alison Watson, the charity’s director, said: “This report confirms the systemic failure of Glasgow City Council’s homelessness services, which has led to thousands of people being denied their legal rights.
“We took legal action last year because we’d had enough of the council routinely breaking the law and forcing people on to the streets.
“This inquiry wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the thousands of people who supported our action in Glasgow and beyond.”
The report recognised that 17 new staff have been hired by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership in recent months, with an increase also reported in the number of lets from housing associations.
Glasgow City Council has been contacted for comment.
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