Glasgow homeless hotel owners get massive jump in cash from council

Glasgow Times

25-04-2025

In the last year, from April 2024 to March 2025, the council paid more than £45 million to private hotels and B&B owners in the city.
Demand for homeless accommodation has rocketed, and the council said it is seeking help from the UK and Scottish governments.
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The cash paid to owners, some of who own several hotels, has rocketed by almost 70% in a year.
In 2023/24 it was £26, 724,422. Last year, the total bill was £45,292,346.
The year before the bill was £20,368,474, meaning the money paid to open increased by 122% in just two years.
The Glasgow Times launched the End the Homeless Hotel Shame campaign to highlight the conditions people were living in.
Mike Dailly, Solicitor Advocate at Govan Law Centre has called for a new approach where the public sector provides accommodation.
He said: "It is lunacy and such a waste of Scottish taxpayers and Glasgow council taxpayers' money to keep throwing millions of pounds at poor quality and super expensive homeless hotels in our city. People should have dignity and taxpayers should get value for money.
'We need to build our own temporary accommodation and work with housing associations to build temporary accommodation. That would ensure high-quality temporary homes for homeless people. It really is a no-brainer.
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The bill could have been higher as not everyone who needs it is able to get a room in one of the 40 hotels.
The data also revealed that on 3058 occasions, someone was refused emergency accommodation in the last year.
The council said this is because all rooms were full.
The information was requested by the Scottish Tenants Organisation.
Sean Clerkin, campaign director, said: 'The housing and homeless disaster in Glasgow only worsens, ruining the lives of thousand of men, women and children, whether they be the new refugee to the city or the family that was evicted yesterday for rent arrears in Maryhill.
'The profiteers of homeless misery continue to make their tens of millions of pounds unabated, with no improvement in the basic conditions of the homeless, especially women and children and 3,058 people are still refused homeless accommodation. Those sleeping on the streets of Glasgow doubled in number from 154 to 323 in the space of weeks.
He agreed with Mr Dailly on a new approach.
Mr Clerkin added: Mike Dailly the top housing lawyer and columnist for the Glasgow Times has repeatedly stated correctly that tens of millions of pounds can be re-directed to Glasgow City Council to directly build good quality temporary accommodation especially safe single sex halfway accommodation for women and children and then move them rapidly on to safe and secure permanent homes.
'This cannot and must not be allowed to continue, as there has to be a housing revolution in Glasgow.'
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: 'We're duty-bound to find and provide emergency accommodation to those affected by homelessness.
"We are having to spend more and more on hotels and bed & breakfast use in our attempts to meet the increasing demand for accommodation and avoid people having to sleep rough.
'Unfortunately, we are aware of a rise in the number of refusals for accommodation - this happens when there is no accommodation available. We currently use 40 hotels across the city to accommodate those whom we have a confirmed duty for.
'There is no quick alternative. We are in continual dialogue with both Governments about these challenges and continue to seek the additional resources necessary to address the challenges we are facing.'