Glasgow’s LHS assesses housing need and demand in the city and provides direction for tackling housing issues and informs future investment in housing and related services. This week’s update is the first annual monitoring report in the five-year life of the LHP.

A significant development during this first year was the declaration of a Housing Emergency in Glasgow by the council on 30 November 2023 after a significant rise in both homelessness demand in the city and the number of people living in emergency accommodation.

The council is working with Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership to deliver actions that will alleviate the current severe housing and homelessness pressures, and a Homelessness Pressures Cross-Party Working Group has been established which will monitor the impact that actions are having in alleviating these pressures.

The LHS has five strategic priorities:

1. Delivering more homes and great places that reduce poverty and inequality and increase opportunity and prosperity for all;
2. Improving the energy efficiency of Glasgow’s homes, reducing fuel poverty and supporting a Just Transition to Net Zero through decarbonising domestic heating and energy;
3. Improving the condition of Glasgow’s homes and preserving Glasgow’s tenements and built heritage;
4. Supporting people to live independently and well at home in the community; and
5. Improving housing options, affordability and sustainability for tenants and owners, to prevent and reduce homelessness.

A key part of the delivery of these priorities is increasing the city’s housing supply, and that housing supply targets for the five-year period are 6,500 new homes in both the Affordable and Market sectors. While these targets are challenging, the council is working with its partners in the sector to remove barriers to achieving them.

The update on the LHS also referred to the impact this year of the new Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, the ending of rent cap measures, and the new Housing Bill.

The new - and increased - (LHA) rates for 2024/25 are likely to have both positive and negative impact on the housing sector in the city, making some schemes more financially viable, while possibly making the accessibility and affordability of private rented housing options more challenging in Glasgow. More work will be required to understand and respond to the impacts of the new rates.

The measures - notably a rent cap and protections against evictions - introduced in October 2022 under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act to protect rental tenants against the impact of rising costs ended on 31 March this year. During 2024, the Scottish Government is likely to introduce a new Housing Bill, which is expected to include a new homelessness prevention duty and a national system of rent control for the private rented sector.

Councillor Kenny McLean, convener for housing at Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow’s Local Housing Strategy is a very important document, as it guides a sector that is fundamental to our quality of life and our economic and environmental ambitions. The Strategy is key to both the building of new homes in the city and the response to our Housing Emergency, and we will containue to work closely with our partners in the housing sector to bring the investment and deliver the actions needed to meet these pressures.”