Why we are engaging with Glasgow City Council (Glasgow City)
We are engaging with Glasgow City about its services for people who are homeless.
The context in which local authorities are delivering services to people who are experiencing homelessness has become increasingly challenging in the last few years. In our December 2023 update to our thematic report on homelessness services in Scotland we set out that there is systemic failure impacting the delivery of some local authorities’ services to people experiencing homelessness. By this we mean that the demands on some local authorities now exceed their capacity to respond. This remains the case at Glasgow City.
The demand for homelessness services in Glasgow City continues to grow. Scottish Government data shows that in 2024/25 there were 12,800 instances where Glasgow City did not provide temporary accommodation when it should have and it was regularly breaching the Unsuitable Accommodation Order (UAO). For the six months to September 2025, the latest Scottish Government data shows 6,815 instances where temporary accommodation was not provided and continuing breaches of the UAO.
Glasgow City has been implementing improvements which aim to improve the performance of its homelessness service. For example, it is progressing an action plan which includes working with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to increase the number of permanent homes provided to people experiencing homelessness. Glasgow City told us that it has also strengthened homelessness prevention activities and increased temporary accommodation provision.
Glasgow City continues to progress its action plan with a priority on stabilising the level of failures to provide temporary accommodation which so far has proved difficult to achieve. This includes updating its temporary accommodation strategy to be published in May 2026. It also plans to provide more suitable alternative accommodation options to bed and breakfast and put in place improved supported accommodation.
We will continue to monitor, assess and report on Glasgow City’s performance in discharging its duties to people who are homeless, and we will engage with the local authority to promote improvement where this is possible.
We are ready to work with the Scottish Government, Glasgow City itself and other stakeholders to identify and implement actions that will address the systemic issues affecting the delivery of homelessness services at Glasgow City.
During 2025/26, 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.
In 2026/27, we will engage with Glasgow City about the following areas:
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how people access the homelessness services provided by Glasgow City; and
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the provision of temporary accommodation by Glasgow City to people who are homeless.
What Glasgow City must do
Glasgow City must:
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send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service including its updated temporary accommodation strategy by May 2026 and progress updates on its action plan;
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continue best efforts to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
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aim to provide us with a date on both when it expects the number of failures to offer temporary accommodation and breaches of the UAO to begin to fall; and
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keep us updated on its capacity to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order.
What we will do
We will:
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review the information Glasgow City provides about its homelessness service including its updated temporary accommodation strategy and engage as necessary;
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meet with Glasgow City on a monthly basis to discuss its homelessness service, and in particular seek assurance about its best efforts to provide suitable temporary accommodation, and engage as necessary; and
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update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Glasgow City.
Regulatory Returns
Glasgow City must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns:
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Annual Assurance Statement; and
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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.