The severe shortage of social homes across Scotland is once more in the spotlight ahead of Thursday’s council elections as Shelter Scotland reveals new analysis showing it would take more than seven years to clear waiting lists.

The charity says Thursday’s poll is a perfect opportunity for people to vote on local issues that directly affect their community such as the acute shortage of social housing and is urging them to ask candidates to make tackling the housing shortage one of their priorities.

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Scotland’s leading provider of housing and homelessness advice based its analysis on the most recent waiting list figures of 156,200 and the number of lets at 21,605. At that trend it would take 7.2 years to clear the list. The charity says it may well take much longer than the seven years due to new people joining the list as austerity measures and welfare reforms hit home.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: "For families to put their lives on hold for up to seven years for a home is unbearable. This analysis shows clearly the desperate situation tens of thousands of people in Scotland have no choice but to endure.

"That’s why in this week’s local council elections, we are urging people to vote on real bread and butter issues like the acute shortage of social housing and want voters to call on candidates to make tackling the housing shortage one of their priorities."

(GK)