North Lanarkshire Council rejects calls to review its housing allocation system

The current rules only consider a single member of each household and a review was being prepared in 2022 but was ultimately cancelled.

North Lanarkshire Council has rejected calls to review its housing allocation system to potentially give higher priority to families with multiple members who have health conditions.

The current rules only consider a single member of each household and a review was being prepared in 2022 but was ultimately cancelled.

At a meeting of the full council the SNP group presented a motion calling for the review to be carried out, with Councillor Lesley Jarvie (Airdrie Central) saying this motion had resulted from speaking to housing officers who had advised her such a decision would need to be made by councillors.

Councillor Jarvie talked about a case she was aware of involving a woman with severe arthritis and needed a wet room, but who also lived with a severely autistic son who was terrified of showers and still used a potty because of inability to go into the bathroom.

Councillor Jarvie said that the current rules meant housing officers had to make a decision as to which member of that family’s needs were the priority, and additionally they would only be considered eligible for a two bedroomed property, despite the autistic son experiencing tantrums and lashing out at his brother so both sons needed their own rooms.

Councillor Jarvie also said that victims of domestic violence were suffering under the current system by being put on waiting lists when they should be moved much sooner.

The housing convener, Councillor Michael McPake (Labour, Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn) moved against the motion with an amendment stating no review of allocations policy was necessary at this time, although that was not to say it could not be done in the future.

He later added that he believed the present system is working and was always being looked at, also offering to bring a paper on the subject to the next meeting of the housing committee.

The motion was outvoted 45-27 with one abstention.

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