The number of people sleeping on Glasgow’s streets is “upsetting and shameful” according to a councillor. 

Bailie Thomas Kerr, who represents Shettleston, believes that the issues surrounding Glasgow’s housing crisis go much deeper than issues surrounding asylum as not enough homes are being developed to meet demand. 

He is presenting a motion at this week’s full council meeting which asks members to acknowledge Shelter Scotland’s call to declare a housing emergency by devolved and local authorities. 

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It comes after the city administration committee declared a housing emergency last week which members agreed was due to rising homelessness which they believed has been “exacerbated” by Home Office plans to speed up asylum claims. 

Shelter Scotland has been leading the campaign for councils and the Scottish Government to declare a housing emergency and has written to the First Minister to demand a housing emergency action plan by 2026. 

Councillor Kerr’s motion urges elected members to note that the issue around the housing emergency is vast and goes beyond the current issues of asylum relocation. 

It states: “Council notes that rising inflation has meant significant challenges to house builders and the construction industry. 

“Council further notes that a generation of young people are struggling to get on the housing market, or even find suitable and affordable homes in the rental market.”

Speaking ahead of the meeting, councillor Kerr said: “As we suffer sub-zero temperatures and rapidly approach Christmas, it is incredibly upsetting and shameful to see how many people are sleeping on Glasgow’s streets.

“Last week’s cross-party support for a housing emergency in our city was welcome, but I believe what was agreed was too narrow in its scope.

“The issues surrounding Glasgow’s housing crisis go much deeper than issues surrounding asylum. For too long the SNP-Green government’s failure to give the council the resources they need means not enough houses are being built to meet demand, and especially in the areas where they are needed most.

“That is compounded by a planning system that is all too often slow to proceed with crucial applications and sends out the wrong noises to developers.

“I hope councillors of all parties will back my motion and recognise we need to be far more ambitious if we are to tackle the shocking rate of homelessness in Glasgow.”

The final part of the motion asks the council leader to write to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice outlining the actions the local authority is taking to address the housing emergency and seek additional resources to help meet the severe challenges.

An update would then be brought before the newly established working group, which was approved by the city administration, and is looking into the Housing Emergency.