By Paul Hutcheon

Copyright dailyrecord

Hundreds of refugees in London and Belfast have declared themselves homeless in Glasgow, fuelling calls for an urgent review of housing rules . Glasgow council has received 1,050 homelessness applications in this year alone from refugees outside the city . SNP council leader Susan Aitken has blamed the Home Office, while Labour MP Joani Reid has attacked the Scottish Government . Reid, a member of Westminster’s Home Affairs select committee, pointed the finger at Scotland’s liberal homelessness laws. “Instead of working with the UK Government on a fair, UK-wide approach, the SNP have turned Glasgow into a magnet for homeless refugees from London, Belfast, Liverpool and Manchester,” she said. “Families here are pushed further down the list while single men from across the country are prioritised.” Glasgow council is under huge pressure over a £66m black hole directly linked to the refugee homelessness crisis. Council chiefs say the Home Office policy of quickly moving people out of asylum seeker hotels after they have been granted leave to remain has triggered a massive rise in refugee homeless applications. But the SNP Government has also been accused of making Glasgow a “magnet” for homeless refugees across the UK due to progressive housing rules. Glasgow council figures reveal there have been 168 homelessness applications from refugees in Belfast and 76 from Birmingham. The figure for Greater London is 133, 37 from Liverpool and 50 from Greater Manchester. Councils in England house people in ‘priority need’, but Scottish rules cover anyone who is unintentionally homeless, including single men. Refugees who have been granted leave to remain from other parts of the UK can also make a homelessness application to a Scottish council. According to Glasgow council, the city received 694 homelessness applications in 2023/24 from those granted leave to remain from outside the city. The figure soared by over 50% in 2024/25 to 1,050. Council chiefs say they have received 2,127 applications from refugees outside Glasgow after changes were made by the last Tory Government to the asylum process. Aitken said: “The Home Office’s practice of abandoning refugees at the point they are given leave to remain in the UK is driving a homelessness crisis in cities up and down the country. “That has become particularly acute in Glasgow because homeless people have greater statutory rights in Scotland – so, when refugees are forced into homelessness elsewhere in the UK, an increasing number are quite understandably travelling here in search of help.” The SNP Government also changed the rules in 2022 so that councils can no longer refer a homeless applicant to another local authority where they have local connections. Reid said: “Glaswegian families are losing out because the SNP would rather posture as super-progressives than face up to the housing crisis in our biggest city. “It’s an absurd position. This is a UK-wide issue but the SNP insist on shouldering it alone and ordinary Glaswegians are paying the price. Their refusal to suspend this legislation shows they care more about scoring points than solving problems. “Any credible government that was serious about welcoming refugees would build the houses and invest in the services that all Scots, new or otherwise rely on.” Aitken told the Record last week she had asked the SNP Government to pause the Scottish legislation that is impacting Glasgow. She said the Government had turned down the request. Glasgow Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said the city needs more houses built: “When I asked the SNP housing minister if she would temporarily review these rules in light of the immediate housing pressure it was creating in Glasgow, she refused to do so, leaving the city facing an unplanned overspend of £66 million on refugee housing next year. “This is obviously unsustainable but it is something a city the size of Glasgow should be able to build its way out of with a proper plan and resources.” A report in January by the Glasgow City Joint Integration Board, which leads on homeless services, said of rising applications: “More progressive homelessness legislation in Scotland (which has no ‘priority need’ test and a legal right to housing for all unintentionally homeless households) is seen as a key driver for this increased demand.” SNP Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Everyone in Scotland has a right to support when they are experiencing homelessness and temporary accommodation if they need it. Our laws are among the most protective in the world. In a housing emergency, you do not roll back on the rules that offer protection to the people of Scotland. “I recognise the significant pressure on homelessness services, particularly in Glasgow, and continue to meet with the city council to discuss the situation there. “Ultimately, the cost of living crisis and the UK Government’s mismanagement of the asylum system are creating serious pressures for local authorities, especially Glasgow. The UK Government must urgently provide more financial assistance to enable local authorities to provide safety and sanctuary for people seeking asylum and ensure their appropriate integration into communities. I have written to the new Secretary of State for the Home Office to make clear that this must be a priority. “Scottish Ministers have no intention of rolling back rights for homeless households.” To sign up to the Daily R ecord Politics newsletter, click here