SNP rule in Glasgow has been a failure and city residents must demand better
Decade-long SNP rule in Glasgow faces mounting criticism amid a severe housing emergency, soaring homelessness, and calls for urgent government intervention.
A decade of Scottish National Party dominance in Glasgow has left the city鈥檚 council facing a severe crisis. According to reporting by the Daily Record, local services and urban spaces have deteriorated significantly since the SNP took control of Glasgow City Council in 2017, ending decades of Labour leadership. Residents encounter weed-strewn pavements, fly-tipping beneath motorway viaducts and flyovers, and low-quality bus services. While the local administration has navigated challenges such as a long-running equal pay dispute, the overall municipal environment presents a stark contrast to the initial optimism of 2017.
That political and administrative pressure now centers on a housing and homelessness emergency. Official figures highlighted by The Guardian show that rough sleeping in Scotland increased by 106% over a three-year period, alongside record numbers of children living in temporary accommodation. Glasgow City Council has reached a critical juncture, receiving 7,574 homelessness applications from outside the city between April 2023 and September this year, according to data obtained by the Daily Record and reported by Glasgow Live. Nearly three-quarters of those applicants originated from other parts of the UK, including Greater London, Belfast, and Birmingham. Officials note that a significant driver is the Home Office policy of vacating asylum-seeker hotels, which leaves newly recognized refugees homeless almost immediately upon receiving leave to remain.
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Scotland鈥檚 legislative framework further shapes these pressures. Under statutory changes introduced after the abolition of the priority need test, Scottish councils hold a legal duty to secure permanent accommodation for all unintentionally homeless applicants, and rules established under Nicola Sturgeon removed local connection requirements. Consequently, individuals facing homelessness elsewhere in the UK or in other Scottish council areas can seek assistance in Glasgow and Edinburgh. In Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council figures showed that the number of refugees in temporary accommodation rose from around 50 in October 2023 to 1,000 by June, prompting intense debate over housing allocations.
Political reactions to the housing shortfall and demographic pressures have divided the parties. Susan Aitken, the SNP-run council leader who announced plans to step aside, called on both the Scottish and UK governments to intervene. She argued that Home Office policies strain frontline services while praising Glasgow's affordable housing delivery. However, critics attribute the strain directly to government policy. Labour MSP Mark Griffin stated that the system is completely overwhelmed and that thousands of children remain stuck in temporary accommodation. Conservative MSP Annie Wells argued that abandoning local connection rules has turned Glasgow into a magnet for migrants. Reform UK's Thomas Kerr condemned council policies as a betrayal of local residents.
At the national level, First Minister John Swinney published a new constitutional paper titled Your Right To Decide, urging the UK government to agree to a second independence referendum if the SNP wins a majority at the Holyrood elections. Opposition figures have criticized the constitutional focus. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay urged Swinney to return to the day job, while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the first minister of using independence to hide from failures. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer similarly dismissed the referendum plans during a visit to Glasgow, characterizing them as distraction politics and urging cooperation on public services and jobs.
The political friction also encompassed a 拢10bn shipbuilding agreement to supply the Norwegian navy with at least five new warships to be constructed at BAE Systems shipyards in Glasgow, supporting more than 2,000 jobs. Swinney accused the prime minister of inaccuracy in the House of Commons regarding the local welcome for the deal and demanded an apology. Simultaneously, Swinney criticized the language used around immigration and proposed a bespoke immigration system for Scotland to address distinct demographic challenges, while the prime minister emphasized tightening lawful immigration numbers.
To address the underlying structural shortages, the Scottish government has proposed creating a new national housing agency. Analysts estimate that Scotland requires just under 16,000 new social homes annually to prevent homelessness from rising further. The SNP previously pledged 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, but current commitments stand at 36,000 over a four-year window, averaging roughly 9,000 per year. As Ricky Bell takes over as the new SNP leader in Glasgow, the local authority confronts severe financial constraints alongside its housing duties.
| Housing Metric | Estimated Need / Target | Current Government Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable housing target | 110,000 homes by 2032 | 36,000 homes over four years (~9,000 per year) |
| Annual social housing requirement | ~16,000 homes per year | Not met by current funding allocations |
Voters will confront these intersecting local and national challenges at the ballot box during the Holyrood elections. Debates over constitutional strategy, local connection rules, and funding allocations will define the political landscape as parties prepare for upcoming conferences and legislative sessions.
