Latest news with #GlasgowCityCouncil
Glasgow Times
6 hours ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Are refugees given priority for social housing in Glasgow?
Those who get the blame are not necessarily those who caused the problem but often can be suffering from the problem just as much as anyone else. The homelessness crisis in Glasgow has spiralled out of control and shows no sign of abating. In fact, it is getting worse. Today is World Refugee Day and while Glasgow prides itself on being supportive as a city, not everyone approves of rolling out the welcome mat. Many people have argued that migrants and refugees are getting homes ahead of the settled population. Last month, a senior councillor responded to say migrants were not given priority over local people for social housing. The reaction in some quarters was to basically call the councillor a liar. Many people feel that migrants, particularly refugees, are being put to the front of the queue for housing at the expense of people who have lived here all or most of their lives. The language usually refers to 'our own'. So, what are the facts? Homelessness has increased and Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency in December 2023. Since then, the situation has become intolerable. In the last three months available, February, March and April, the council received 2017 homelessness applications and, of these, 763 were from refugee households. Non-refugee homeless applications outnumbered refugees by more than two to one. At the last count, there were 4236 households in temporary accommodation, including hotels. Of these, 2342 have refugee status. So bad has the homelessness crisis become, the council is forced to spend more than £40million a year on hotels for homeless people just to prevent rough sleeping. In hotels and bed and breakfasts, the council has 1721 households. Of these 1246 have refugee status. Refugees in hotels outnumber non-refugees by almost three to one. Recently, the Glasgow Times spoke to a refugee couple who spent more than a year in a hotel for homeless people. When someone, an individual or family, is granted leave to remain, they are not automatically given a tenancy. Instead, they face the same hardship as other homeless people who are not refugees. Based on the numbers, refugees are more likely to be in hotels than other people. The criteria to be moved out of a hotel into a temporary accommodation flat make no mention of refugee status. Glasgow City Council said: 'Each household's situation is unique, and we make decisions on moving to them to an alternative placement on an individual basis. The Unsuitable Accommodation Order is a factor in the decision to move a household to alternative accommodation.' When asked if there are any circumstances that give priority to someone to be allocated a hotel room or temporary accommodations, the council said there were not. When asked, 'Is there any priority throughout the processes given to people with refugee status that is not afforded to other people?' the answer was: 'No.' The largest provider of social rented homes in Glasgow is Wheatley Homes. Their allocation policy by law is based on housing need. Priority is given to statutory homeless people, people who are living in overcrowded houses, those who are occupying houses which don't meet the tolerable standard and those who have large families and people living under unsatisfactory housing conditions. Again, no specific criteria are mentioned about refugees or arriving in the city from another country. The homelessness emergency has put pressure on Wheatley Homes Glasgow's stock. It commits to give 60% of its new lets in Glasgow each year to homeless households. For 2024/25 and 2025/26, that commitment is for at least 1600 lets. The social landlord has an ambitious wider target of making 11,000 homes available to tackle rough sleeping by the end of 2026. It has several bands based on level of housing need. The top three are: Band A: Wheatley Group tenants who require urgent re-housing to prevent homelessness Band B: Statutory homeless referrals Band C: Preventing homelessness The stated policies of both the council and Wheatley, as the biggest social landlord, do not mention refugees as a category. The numbers in temporary accommodation and the extremely high number in hotels strongly suggest that refugees are not being fast-tracked into tenancies ahead of other people. There is a finite amount of available homes and the flow of people coming through the asylum system is leading to more refugees on the waiting list for housing. But there appears to be no evidence that they are getting preferential treatment. The Glasgow Times also asked the housing minister, Paul McLennan, if refugees or migrants were given priority. He said he knows from his time as a local councillor for many years that is not the case. The increase in asylum seekers in Glasgow who then get refugee status has led to more people who need accommodation. But according to the available numbers, policies and statements, they are treated the same as any other homeless person.
Glasgow Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
New tourist tax in Glasgow approved by councillors
The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. It is expected the fee could bring in about £16 million annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee today, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. READ MORE: Councillor Ricky Bell: 'Visitor levy in Glasgow could grow city's tourism offer' Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee this morning. Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment', as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay. The amendment was rejected by Labour, the SNP and a Conservative councillor.
Scotsman
20 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Glasgow tourist tax given go-ahead by councillors with hopes visitor levy will generate £16m
Visitors to the city will pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their stay. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Glasgow's new tourist tax has been given the go-ahead – with visitors to be charged on average £4.83 per night. The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is expected the fee could bring in about £16m annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee on Thursday, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee on Thursday morning (June 19). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment' as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay.
STV News
a day ago
- Business
- STV News
Glasgow tourist tax given go-ahead by councillors
Glasgow's new tourist tax has been given the go-ahead this morning – with visitors to be charged on average £4.83 per night. The visitor levy due to be introduced on January, 25, 2027 will see people pay 5% of their accommodation bill for every night of their entire stay. It is expected the fee could bring in about £16m annually after costs and will apply to hotels, hostels, guest houses, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. Speaking at the city administration committee on Thursday, city treasurer Ricky Bell said he and leader Susan Aitken 'had been lobbying the Scottish Government for some time to give us more powers to be able to raise our own revenues and this is the start of what I hope will be a continuation of those powers being devolved to local government.' It is proposed that hotel operators keep 1.5% of the amount collected to make up for any costs incurred. Organisations who don't comply would face penalties. Councillors approved the visitor levy at the city administration committee this morning. Cash generated would go towards the look and feel of the city with investment in infrastructure and the 'built and natural environment' as well as culture and events and marketing of the city as a destination to grow visitors. A visitor levy forum is also to be set up to provide advice to the council relating to the scheme and it is proposed those involved in the visitor sector and representatives from communities would have a key role. Employees are to be appointed at Glasgow City Council to handle the process and annual costs are estimated to be about £750,000 to £950,000 – with initial set up expected to be £400,000. Scottish Green councillors moved an amendment at the committee relating to accommodation provider costs stating that they 'may only retain money under this rebate scheme for three years' and providing more details on penalties if they don't pay. The amendment was rejected by Labour, the SNP and a Conservative councillor. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Johnny Carson: 'Glasgow wins when governments work together'
After lying semi-derelict for two years, the Barlia pitches and football facility was rescued by the Castlemilk Community Football Trust, led by dynamo charity manager John Harkins, with backing from Glasgow City Council and with support from both UK and Scottish Governments. The Trust now hosts 24 clubs, has reopened state-of-the-art changing pavilions, and secured a 25-year lease. Castlemilk's Barlia Football Centre is living proof that when the different layers of government pull in the same direction, by working with local communities, our city benefits. At the most recent City Council meeting, councillors supported a motion which placed the Clyde at the heart of the city's identity and renewal. There were many great ideas and contributions submitted to the debate, including establishing water bus services on the Clyde and exploring the potential for a revival of an operational tram on Clydeside. The whole debate also reiterated a simple truth: that these great ideas require serious investment and cooperation from multiple partners. That spirit of co-operation is needed if we wish Glasgow to truly flourish. The recent UK Labour Government's Spending Review has delivered an extra £9.1 billion for Scottish public services, together with targeted funds for growth sectors and local projects. £160 million has been ring-fenced for an Investment Zone spread across the Glasgow City Region; the zone is expected to unlock £300 million of private capital and support up to 10,000 new jobs over the next decade. £250 million to kick off the multi-decade "Clyde 2070" modernisation of HM Naval Base Clyde, securing thousands of skilled jobs on both banks while reinforcing national security. This is on top of the continuing Type-26 Frigate programme, which has delivered billions of pounds of investment and secured thousands of jobs for Glasgow. Glasgow Labour MPs have been active in supporting calls for Glasgow yards to secure even more work by extending the Type-26 Frigate programme to Norwegian contracts. However, where cooperation fails, the consequences are painfully visible. News that bus-builder Alexander Dennis is intent on shifting production from Falkirk to Yorkshire is another blow for our country's industry. But it has since emerged that the SNP Scottish Government ordered a mere 44 buses while Greater Manchester bought 160. The spectre of 400 lost Scottish jobs now hangs over the firm. Many people will be asking the same question: what chance have Scottish businesses got if they are not backed by the Scottish Government? This pattern is sadly familiar. The Islay-class ferry contracts – worth £91 million – went to the Cemre yard in Turkey, bypassing Scottish shipyards altogether. Similar awards to Polish yards followed. Procurement choices made unilaterally in Edinburgh exported hundreds of jobs that could have stayed on the Clyde or at Port Glasgow. First Minister John Swinney recently kicked off an attempted revival following the SNP's defeat to Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, by announcing that more focus would have to be put into the campaign for independence. But ordinary Glaswegians aren't interested in continuing constitutional trench warfare. They want working buses, good public services, decent jobs, and well-run local facilities after 18 years of SNP rule. Labour's Spending Review and UK investments on the Clyde highlight the opportunities that exist when governments trust our city, businesses and workers. Glasgow gains when all its governments pull together; it loses whenever they drift apart. The real priorities should be obvious.
