"Homeless" Refugees are 72% of Homeless in Glasgow
- Alistair McConnachie
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
"Homeless" Refugees are creating an "utterly untenable" situation for Glasgow City Council. We look at why this is, and how the out-dated Refugee System is working against the best interests of the native population – the Refugees are always destined to be "top of the housing list". We propose the obvious solutions. Pic of the City Chambers by AFFG 22-4-24.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "ASYLUM SEEKER" AND "REFUGEE"
An "Asylum Seeker" is someone who is seeking asylum. A Refugee is someone whose claim for asylum has been granted and has been given "Refugee Status" (aka "Refugee Leave to Remain").
Someone who arrives in Dover, off a boat, is an "Asylum Seeker". They will be put up in hotel accommodation, paid for by the Home Office, and the general body of British Taxpayers.
If their claim is granted, then they are given "Refugee Status" – which opens up to them all the benefits of the British State, including social housing and housing benefits.
This "equal access to benefits" is a requirement of Britain's membership of the UN Refugee Convention, as we explained here.
It is an extremely generous package, and well past the stage of being realistically workable in an economic, social or cultural sense. However, until we leave the UN Refugee Convention, we're stuck with it!
A REFUGEE MUST FIND THEIR OWN ACCOMMODATION
At the point of being granted Refugee Status, the Refugee has 8 weeks to leave hotel accommodation, and find his or her own accommodation in the community!
Now, it is hard enough for a normal, English-speaking, employed Brit to find accommodation, let alone someone who doesn't speak the language, and has no skills!
However, many of these people are assisted in their efforts by a legion of NGOs and "charities" who are in close communication with the various council departments to ensure that they get somewhere to live.
At this point, the costs are shifted from the Home Office and the national taxpayer, to the Local Councils who have to find social housing for them, and the local council taxpayers who have to pay for them.
Many come to Glasgow to find social housing here, which puts massive costs onto the Council and local taxpayers! The Guardian has reported that the virtue-signalling SNP council is beginning to slowly understand how unworkable this is, although it is still committed to the process. Glasgow City Council's "Convenor for Homelessness", Alan Casey, has described the pressures facing the city as a result of such dispersal as "utterly untenable". (1)
COUNCILS WILL PRIORITISE "THE HOMELESS" OVER THOSE ON "THE LIST"
Although they will seldom admit it, the Councils will, in effect, prioritise Refugees over the indigenous British people who are waiting patiently on the housing list. This is because the Refugees are basically "homeless".
Unlike a lot of British people who have been on the housing lists for years (say, living with parents, or in an over-crowded flat, or an unsuitable flat), it is presumed that the Refugees will have literally no roof over their heads unless they are given somewhere.
And it's not as if they can rent in the private sector? Many of them are not likely to have a job. Many of them are virtually unemployable! Many of them are only destined to become a burden on the rest of us. That's unfortunate, but it's also a glaring fact!
So, they "get to the top of the housing list" immediately.
Of course, Councils do not have a limitless number of social houses and so many of these Refugees will have to be found "temporary" bed and breakfast accommodation, which will be paid for by the Council (taxpayer). In the year April 2024 to March 2025, Glasgow Council paid more than £45 million to private hotels and B&B owners in the city. (2)
REFUGEES ARE OVER 70% OF THE "HOMELESS" IN GLASGOW
The Glasgow Times reported on 6 June 2025:
Hundreds of homeless people have been refused accommodation in Glasgow in one month alone, new figures show.
Between April 1 and May 1, on 456 occasions, people were turned away when they said they needed somewhere to stay that night.
The council said it happens when there are no spaces available, and it is seeking extra resources to deal with the housing emergency.
The housing emergency has led to huge demand for homeless accommodation and the latest count saw 1972 people in hotels and B&Bs in the city.
Of those, 1417 were people with refugee status having been granted leave to remain in the UK. (3)
That is, 72% of those considered "homeless" in Glasgow are people who have been granted "Refugee Status".
Please note that these are the Refugees who are considered "homeless" in the sense that actual homes have not been found for them (yet). There will be other more fortunate Refugees who have been found accommodation from the Glasgow social housing stock and who, therefore, are not considered "homeless".
As for the ones who are still "homeless", their situation is being prioritised, as per the figures below (although no doubt Glasgow City Council will say they are not being "prioritised" because they are "Refugees" but because they are "homeless").
REFUGEES ARE GETTING HALF THE NEW SOCIAL HOUSING FLATS IN GLASGOW
Since the Council prioritises the homeless over those who already have a roof over their head, it means that many people patiently waiting for accommodation – but who are presently living in inadequate accommodation – will be pushed further down the ladder in favour of the never-ending stream of "homeless" Refugees.
Indeed, we discover that 70% of social housing flats, from one provider in Glasgow, are being put aside for those considered "homeless". For example, a report in the Glasgow Times of 3 May told us:
The number of social housing flats going to the homeless is at a record high, with 3,500 affordable lets granted to those with nowhere to live over the last year in Glasgow.
The cost of living crisis, a lack of available flats and demand from refugees wishing to live in the city have all led to a rise in homelessness, according to a council official.
Glasgow SNP councillor Allan Casey told a council meeting he is seeking a meeting with the UK Government to look at support on how to deal with the crisis.
Last week's economy, housing, transport and regeneration board heard progress to address homelessness in the city has been classified as red, which indicates major slippage due to the challenge.
A council official told the meeting that efforts have been underway to maximise the number of social homes going to homeless people. He said: "I'm pleased to say that, in 2024 to 2025, just over 3,500 lets were provided by registered social landlord partners to homeless households, which is a record.
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Robert Mooney, of Labour, said he has had enquiries from residents experiencing overcrowding, with some families having seven people in two-bedroom homes.
He said: "I believe Wheatley [Housing Association] are being asked to put 70 per cent of their housing aside for the homeless. That will extend the length of time that someone experiencing overcrowding will have to wait for a new house." (4)
So if 70% of accommodation is being put aside for the homeless, and if 72% of the homeless in Glasgow are Refugees, then that means that just over half of new lets are going to refugees (50.4%).
What this is saying is that if you are a British Citizen living in social housing which is too small for your needs, then you will face a longer wait (if you ever get anything) because 70% of housing is being put aside for "the homeless" – who are overwhelmingly those who have been granted "Refugee Status".
This means that those who have been waiting normally on the housing list, are less and less likely to be granted a home.
This analysis was also confirmed by the following comments from the Glasgow Times of 25 April 2025:
Carolyn Lochhead of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said: "With 250,000 people across Scotland on a waiting list for a social home, it's essential that housing associations receive stable and sufficient funding over a number of years to build the homes we desperately need."
David Bookbinder of Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations added: "Balancing supply and demand is always tricky – around 50% of all social lets go to homeless households, and most of these are single-person households.
"Fewer people are housed through the housing list than used to be the case, as a result of acute homelessness pressures, so any household on the list has less chance of being rehoused than was the case a number of years ago." (5)
That last sentence: "Fewer people are housed through the housing list" because of "acute homelessness pressures" so if you are on the list then you have "less chance of being rehoused".
"Homeless" Refugees are literally pushing out indigenous Brits from the housing list!
We are not blaming the Refugees. They are just taking advantage of the situation. It is ultimately the fault of the British Government, although the local politically-correct Councils are not helping!
For example, Glasgow City Council won't address the source of the problem – the never-ending supply of "asylum seekers" into the UK who, if their claims are accepted, then turn up in Glasgow as official "Refugees".
Rather the councillors prefer to emote about the wonders of "diversity" or speak about needing "more resources" which means more money from the Treasury to pay for more temporary accommodation, which is doing nothing to address the source of the problem!
Other pro-immigration activists will speak about "building more homes" even though it is physically impossible to build homes at the rate at which these people are arriving! (6)
THE SOLUTION
As we argue (7):
a) Firstly, we need to leave the UN Refugee Convention which requires us to give Refugees access to the benefits system on the same terms as British Citizens. Once we do this, we will be free to ensure:
b) Refugees will not be able to access benefits and social housing. The terms of their Refugee Visa will stipulate that they need to pay their own way. If they cannot, then they must go back home, or go somewhere else which will accommodate them. This removal of benefits will also ensure that many no longer want to "claim asylum" after all.
c) Refugee Status should never be a pathway to "Indefinite Leave to Remain" (ILR) and "Citizenship", which itself should be made very hard to acquire. Removing the pathway to ILR, and Citizenship will also disincentivise many from claiming asylum in the first place.
REFERENCES
1. Libby Brooks, "Asylum system risks 'damaging social cohesion', Glasgow city council warns", The Guardian, 1-4-25.
2. Stewart Paterson, "Glasgow homeless hotel owners get massive jump in cash from council", Glasgow Times, 25-4-25, pp6-7 at 6.
3. Stewart Paterson, "More than 450 Glasgow homeless refused hotel room in a month", Glasgow Times, 6-6-25 here.
4. Sarah Hilley, "Record number of social housing flats going to homeless in Glasgow", Glasgow Times, 3-5-25 here.
5. Stewart Paterson, "Multitude of reasons for shortage of large social rented homes", Glasgow Times, 25-4-25, pp6-7 at 6.
6. One third of Asylum Seekers are arriving over the English Channel. You can track the numbers on the government website at "Small boat arrivals: last 7 days".
7. Alistair McConnachie, "End our Out-Dated, Massively Expensive, Refugee Benefit System", 10-3-25.
For more articles on immigration see our Territorial Sovereignty: Article Index
We spoke about this on our weekly show "Good Evening Britain!" on 9-4-25:
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