Scottish Conservatives slam SNP’s ‘virtue-signalling’ policy for homelessness surge

The Scottish Conservatives have accused the SNP of ‘worsening the housing emergency’, following a controversial rule change that has seen homelessness applications soar in Glasgow.

Data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through a Freedom of Information request reveals a 3,500% increase in homeless applications to Glasgow City Council from outside Scotland since the SNP abolished the local connection rule.

The rule, which was removed in 2022, previously prevented Scottish local authorities from housing a homeless person unless they had a local connection to the area.

Those without a connection were referred to another council where they did have one, typically a place where they had previously lived or worked, or where a family member lived or worked.

The Scottish Conservatives argue that abolishing the local connection rule has caused more harm than good, as the vast majority of people taking advantage of the change are from outside Scotland.

Figures have jumped dramatically

According to the data, prior to the rule change in 2022, just 35 individuals with no local connection to any Scottish council made a homeless application to Glasgow City Council, 22 from outside Scotland and 13 from outside the UK.

The following year, this jumped dramatically to 1,290, with 356 from outside Scotland and 934 with no local connection to any council in the UK, a 3,585% increase.

The trend has continued, with a further 2,089 applications from individuals outside Scotland in 2024–25 and 2025–26 to date, including 522 from elsewhere in the UK and 1,567 from outside the UK.

The Scottish Conservatives say this means 76% of people taking advantage of the rule change are from outside Scotland.

SNP’s virtue-signalling policy has made the housing crisis far worse

Scottish Conservative shadow housing secretary Meghan Gallacher said the Conservatives would reverse the rule change.

She said: “These astonishing figures highlight the impact on Glasgow of the SNP’s open-door immigration policy.

“Their reckless decision to abolish the local connection rule has led to an influx of people from outside Scotland trying to access homelessness services, and the city’s Nationalist-run council has said it can’t cope.

“SNP ministers have made Glasgow a magnet for asylum seekers and the financial toll this is having on the city is enormous and unsustainable.

“The Scottish Conservatives’ housing paper includes a range of measures to address the housing emergency which SNP policies have created, and one of them is to reinstate the local connection restrictions that are in place in the rest of the UK.

“John Swinney must accept he got this badly wrong. His virtue-signalling policy has made the housing crisis far worse in our biggest city.”

In England, councils only have to house a homeless person if they normally reside in that council area.

According to Shelter, the local authority agreement defines normal residence as either six months’ residence in the area during the past 12 months or three years residence during the previous five years.