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More than 24,000 disabled people on housing waiting lists in Scotland, figures show
The number of disabled people on social housing waiting lists in Scotland has jumped 150% over the past six years to more than 24,000, according to figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.
Data obtained by the party under Freedom of Information (FOI) requests revealed that there are at least 24,209 disabled people on councils’ housing waiting lists, up from 9,714 in 2017.
However, only 23 out of Scotland’s 32 councils responded to the FOI requests, prompting the Scottish Conservatives to claim that the extent of the problem is bigger.
Miles Briggs, the party’s shadow cabinet secretary for social justice, housing and local government, said: “The SNP have a shameful record on social housing and these shocking statistics show that it is the most vulnerable who are suffering as a result of it.”
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The Scottish government pointed to the fact that it is planning to force councils to report annually on targets for offering accessible homes and defended its record on affordable housing delivery.
According to other recent research by the Scottish Conservatives, there are currently around 55,000 empty homes in the country.
“To leave disabled people languishing on waiting lists for years – and in some cases decades – is disgraceful, especially when there are so many buildings lying empty,” Mr Briggs added.
The Scottish Conservatives have also proposed relaxing planning laws to allow the redevelopment of unoccupied buildings. “It’s high time the SNP followed suit, especially as their record on new housebuilding is so poor,” said Mr Briggs.
Mr Briggs said the figures also highlighted the need for an independent commissioner to champion the rights of disabled people living in Scotland.
A Scottish government spokesperson said it wants disabled people in Scotland to have “choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted so they can participate as full and equal citizens”.
The spokesperson added: “Wherever possible all new affordable homes are designed to meet people’s needs as they change over time, including people with disabilities.
“We have issued guidance for local authorities to deliver more wheelchair-accessible housing, and councils will soon have to report annually on targets for delivering accessible homes.
“Disabled applicants are given priority access to our Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers schemes, including Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE), which help people on low to moderate incomes buy a home. We recently widened eligibility to OMSE to ensure as many people as possible could benefit.”
The spokesperson concluded: “Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK, having delivered almost 113,000 affordable homes since 2007, over 79,000 of which were for social rent.”
