Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson, has raised concerns about the number of children on the social housing waiting list across Lanarkshire.
Over 13,000 children in Lanarkshire are currently on a social housing waiting list according to information obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.
Freedom of information requests submitted by the party to each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities have revealed that at least 95,293 children in Scotland are on waiting lists for council housing right now – while the true figure may be even higher, as three councils were unable to return complete data.
Approximately 183,000 households and over 230,000 adults across Scotland are also on waiting lists for social rented accommodation.
In North Lanarkshire 12,070 families are currently waiting, which includes 8,414 children, whilst in South Lanarkshire the figure is 18,471 and 4,806 children.
Mr Simpson called the figures ‘shocking and shameful’, and blamed the SNP for failing to meet their housebuilding targets for the current crisis.
The Scottish Conservatives have pledged to support increased housebuilding in their local election manifesto and have said 25,000 new homes must be built each year, with a specific focus on the affordable and social-rented sectors, in order to tackle this growing problem.
Scottish Conservative councillors have also promised to work to increase their local authority’s stock of council housing if elected.
Central Scotland MSP, Graham Simpson said: “These shocking and shameful figures highlight the extent of the social housing crisis in Scotland right now.
“Years of missed SNP targets on council housebuilding have left 30,541 households waiting for social rented accommodation in Lanarkshire – and more than 13,000 children.
“The SNP have consistently failed to build enough new social rented homes throughout their time in power.
“With the cost of living crisis biting hard, many Scots on these waiting lists will be unable to continue paying for privately rented accommodation, and there is a very real possibility of families and children across the region becoming homeless as a result of these enormous waiting lists.
“This is nothing short of a scandal. The SNP must now urgently commit to the ambitious targets on housebuilding that the Scottish Conservatives have been demanding for years – and deliver the 25,000 homes we need each year to end this appalling crisis.”
