Dire state of social housing
A North Lanarkshire councillor has revealed his anguish over ongoing housing problems across his ward.
Independent Murdostoun elected member Robert John McKendrick says the housing crisis is getting out of control.
He said:“This issue takes up most of my time as a councillor — people looking for the basic need — a home.
“In North Lanarkshire we have a complicated system with six different lists, which most people are unaware of, and that doesn’t help.”
North Lanarkshire Council is aiming to create 5000 new homes by 2035 with all of its tower blocks set to be demolished.
However, Councillor McKendrick is calling for more help from central government to assist councils across the country.
He added:“I am dealing with 10 to 15 housing enquiries per year.
“The council are building homes on the old St Brigid’s Primary site, so I’m hoping that will help but I doubt it.
“The new homes the council are building are fantastic and I haven’t had one complaint about them — but we still aren’t building enough to satisfy demand.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said:“We are fully committed to addressing the need for more affordable housing in our communities.
"Our extensive new build council housing programme, combined with the expansion of our open market and buy back schemes, highlights our dedication to increasing housing supply to meet the changing needs of people in our towns and villages.
“We remain proactive in reviewing our housing allocation processes to ensure efficiency and responsiveness. While challenges persist, we are working closely with all levels of government to secure additional funding and support to further bolster housing stock.”
In February, the Scottish Government came under fire for cutting £190 million from its housing budget in the next financial year.
Scottish Housing Minister Paul McLennan said:“The Scottish Government has led the UK in housing by delivering more than 126,000 affordable homes since 2007, over 89,000 of which were for social rent, including almost 24,000 council homes.
“We will invest £556 million in affordable housing in 2024-25, the majority of which will be for social rent.
“The UK Government failed to inflation-proof its capital budget and this has resulted in nearly a 10% real-terms cut in our UK capital funding between 2023-24 and 2027-28.”