Item 9 - WD Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan
West Dunbartonshire Council · 19 November 2025
Back to Housing & Communities Committee — 19 November 2025 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Chief Officer, Housing Housing and Communities Committee: 19 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: West Dunbartonshire Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide members with an update on the Housing Emergency Action Plan (HEDAP) which was formulated to address the emergency following the Council’s housing emergency declaration on 1st May 2024. The report also aligns the HEDAP to the recently published Scottish Government Housing Emergency Action Plan and the opportunities this can present within a local housing and homelessness context. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Housing and Communities Committee: (i) Note the progress to date and the implementation of the key actions of the Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan as summarised in section 4.1 – 4.10 of this report and in the action plan update within Appendix 1 of this report; (ii) Note another West Dunbartonshire Housing Emergency summit will be hosted by the Council on 2nd February 2026; (iii) Note the Scottish Governments response to the national emergency in sections 4.11-4.12 of this report and what it means for West Dunbartonshire Council’s housing and homelessness services summarised in sections 4.13-4.18 of this report. (iv) Note the Housing Bill has now been passed through Parliament on 30th September 2025 and note the future increased statutory requirements on the Council’s housing and homelessness services. (v) Note the Chief Officer, Housing will continue to bring an update report on the HEDAP to future Housing and Communities committee meetings. 3. Background 3.1 On the 1st of May 2024 Housing and Communities Committee unanimously agreed to declare a Housing Emergency in West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC). The reasons behind the motion being raised was due to the extreme pressures facing housing and homelessness services in WDC. Page 1 ITEM 9
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3.2 This was despite positive achievements of the service to help manage the acute housing need in West Dunbartonshire including the following: 262 households prevented from experiencing homelessness, Progress in reducing the number of empty homes (council voids); and The construction of new council homes at the following development sites Clydebank East, Mount Pleasant, Pappert and Gilmour Avenue. 3.3 Despite this, housing demand increased rather than the expected reduction and therefore the following metrics highlighted the pressures on the housing and homelessness systems within West Dunbartonshire prior to the housing emergency declaration. Over five thousand on the Council’s housing waiting lists, 274 households in temporary accommodation awaiting an offer of permanent housing, of those eighty-nine households have children within them, and the anticipation of more than one thousand new homeless assessments to be made during the 2024/25 reporting period. 3.4 As reported previously to the Housing and Communities Committee, the Council had been unable to fulfil all our statutory duties under homelessness legislation and has incurred sixty-eight breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order (UAO) following 274 households being placed in Bed & Breakfast Accommodation during 2023/24. 3.5 The increased supply of new social homes is the key element to help address the demand pressures, The funding cut to the wider Affordable Housing Supply Programme funding of around 24% in 2024/25, significantly contributed to the Housing Emergency Declaration. 3.6 West Dunbartonshire Council were the fifth local authority to declare a housing emergency following declarations made in Argyll and Bute, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Fife. Since the West Dunbartonshire declaration, a further eight local authorities have followed suit and made a housing emergency declaration (South Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Angus, Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Aberdeen, East Renfrewshire and East Lothian). Therefore 13 of 32 Scottish local authorities have declared housing emergencies, including four of the six housing stock transfer authorities. 3.6 Significantly on the 15th of May 2024, the Scottish Government declared a National Housing Emergency in the Scottish Parliament. More recently, the Scottish Government also launched their housing emergency action plan in September 2025. 4. Main Issues 4.1 The action plan has four main themes they are as follows: Theme 1 - Deliver and maintain More Homes - West Dunbartonshire approach to the delivery of affordable housing, Theme 2 - Make Best Use of Existing Stock, Page 2
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Theme 3 - Enhancing Housing Access and the prevention of homelessness, and Theme 4 - Strengthen the Financial viability and capacity of the Housing Revenue Account and associated Housing and Homelessness budgets. 4.2 The Housing Emergency Project Board (HEPB) continues to meet monthly basis since the housing emergency declaration led by the Chief Officer, Housing. The HEPB agreed further progress will be made via existing governance arrangements such as Housing Improvement Board, More Homes Project Board and Better Homes Project Board and reported to the overarching Housing Emergency Project Board. Following the Housing Summit which attracted eighty stakeholder held on 10th February 2025 with an aim to work on solutions to help end the housing emergency and also improve housing options longer term within West Dunbartonshire. This successful event with purposeful and enthusiastic conversation taking place prompted the addition of a further seven strategic actions to the HEDAP. The HEPB also agreed following positive feedback from the stakeholder participants to host another housing emergency summit in February 2026. This date is now confirmed as Monday 2nd February 2026 and preparations have commenced. 4.4 There are now a total of 68 actions within the plan. Of which 34 are now fully complete with another 18 actions more than 50% complete. 4.5 A full progress report is attached as Appendix 1 of this report and some highlights are summarised in the sections below: - Deliver and maintain More Homes - West Dunbartonshire approach to the delivery of affordable housing 4.6 The Housing and Communities Committee Convenor wrote to the Housing Minister requesting the reinstatement of the funding cut to the Affordable Housing Supply Programme funding. Our funding for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme has been reinstated. The Council supported by tenant prioritisation has continued to deliver much needed new homes. In 2025/26 the Council has overseen the completion of 88 new homes at Clydebank East, 19 new homes at Mount Pleasant and 26 new homes at Pappert. Gilmour Avenue and Willox Park Phase 1 will also complete in 2025/26 adding a further 19 new homes to meet demand. The delivery of these new homes is supported by The Council’s buyback scheme addressing housing need in West Dunbartonshire with a particular focus on larger family homes, 21 buybacks year to date in 2025/26 with a further 6 currently under offer. The planning review is now at national level which West Dunbartonshire Council fed into and welcome the outcome. Make Best Use of Existing Stock 4.7 There has been positive progress around void performance within the Council’s housing stock with voids been reduced to 150 at year end and reduced slightly further in 2025/26. The new repairs policy is being monitored since its rollout Page 3
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in April 2025. Progress has been made on the review of supported accommodation. A new campaign drive along with additional actions to help promote and maximise the use of Homeswapper (mutual exchange scheme) to further meet housing need. The new empty homes strategy has brought 15 homes back into use year to date in 25/26, two of which have brought back into use as council homes. Our damp and mould environmental sensor project continues to roll out across our housing stock and the review of our leased properties will be completed before the end of 2025. Enhancing Housing Access and the prevention of homelessness 4.8 Continued monitoring of the refreshed approach to assist with preventing negative housing situations including a refreshed housing pathway for WDC tenants who flee domestic violence. Actions in the new Housing Solutions Strategy are being taken forward. The transfer led allocations approach for new builds continues to be implemented and we’ll review the outcomes of this at the end of the year but already we are tracking a number of households and children being taken out of homelessness. There has also been significant progress made around a public awareness campaign on homelessness. The shared common online housing application form was launched in October with ongoing discussions and possible next stages leading to a West Dunbartonshire Common Housing Register. Strengthen the Financial viability and capacity of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and associated Housing and Homelessness budgets 4.9 Several actions continue to be taken forward through the Housing Emergency Project Board and the HRA Value for Money group which now meets on a weekly basis to help strengthen the financial health of the Housing Revenue Account. Council Officers are also continuing to be part of a national conversation with the Scottish Government, COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and ALACHO (Association of Chief Housing Officers) to investigate the possibility of HRA debt relief to enable local authorities to build or acquire additional social rented homes following the recommendation within the Housing Investment Taskforce report published in 2025. A decision on this continues to be outstanding from the United Kingdom Government. A review of building services has taken place with several actions being taken into 2025/26 to be fully complete. 4.10 Key performance indicators continue to be monitored to help show the progress made through the action plan which will signify an end to the current emergency declaration. Scottish Governments Response to National Housing Emergency 4.11 The Cabinet Secretary for Housing announced the Scottish Government’s response to the national housing emergency declaration in May 2024 to the Scottish Parliament in September 2025, the response in the form of an action plan has three key pillars to meet the required objectives; Page 4
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1. Ending children living in unsuitable accommodation 2. Supporting the housing needs of vulnerable communities 3. Building our future - maximising investment in Scotland’s housing sector 4.12 The plan lists actions that will be taken by the Scottish Government, the key actions are highlighted below under each of the three pillars; Ending children living in unsuitable accommodation Doubled the acquisition funding to £80m in 2025/26 (West Dunbartonshire Council has been notified of an additional £333k); Asking councils to flip temporary tenancies into permanent tenancies; The introduction of Awaab’s law through the Housing Bill to come into force by March 2026; Introduction of rent controls in the private rented sector; Fund pilot schemes such as private sector leasing schemes to reduce use of bed & breakfasts and other unsuitable accommodation, and Invest an additional £2 million into discretionary housing payments to help those move from temporary accommodation. Supporting the housing needs of vulnerable communities Establish a £1 million national fund for survivors of domestic abuse to leave a partner; Invest in geographically targeted housing first expansion working with RSLs to purchase properties for housing first tenancies, and Additional £1million housing first uplift to this year’s Rapid rehousing funding taking it to £9 million through the committed £8 million for 2026/27 to meet key agreed aims Building our Future The Scottish Government has committed to a £4.9bn of investment over the next four years in the delivery of new homes, this will see the introduction of multiyear funding allocation to strengthen the delivery of strategic housing investment plans; New Social Homes: The plan targets the delivery of 25,000 new social rent homes by 2030; Introduce a new all tenure delivery ambition to increase delivery of new homes by 10% in each of the next three years; Housing will continue to be the key focus for the Scottish National Investment Bank What this means for West Dunbartonshire 4.13 The announcements made by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing were received well by the housing and local authority sectors. For West Dunbartonshire Council, this national intervention provides an opportunity to exit our own housing emergency at a greater pace. While the prospect of enhanced resources should support the expansion of our Affordable Housing Programme and enable delivery of much-needed new homes at pace, the Council must also ensure alignment with evolving national housing priorities Page 5
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and demonstrate capacity to secure and deploy any additional funding effectively. Once the Scottish Government makes formal announcements on the aspects of the Action Plan, such as funding and how this will be distributed to local authorities, the Council will review its current housing investment programmes in light of these, with a focus on maximising investment opportunities and ensuring the delivery of affordable housing continues to meet the needs of West Dunbartonshire’s communities. 4.14 The Council, both at political and officer levels have called for fairer funding distribution of housing and homelessness funding and this will need to continue. The recent additional allocation of £333k to support our acquisition programme while welcomed, the distribution funding formula used is heavily weighted to the larger local authorities. 4.15 The Council has well established acquisition (buybacks) and conversion (flipping) programmes in place therefore the additional funds allocated will be fully utilised. The Council has also been pioneering in rolling out a damp and mould sensor programme which will assist with new duties coming into force in March 2026 under Awaab’s Law element of the forthcoming Housing Act. 4.16 The commitment for a further year of rapid rehousing transition funding with the additional financial support to assist with the delivery of Housing First will support the objectives being delivered through the Housing Solutions Strategy. It is unknown where the Scottish Government intend to target the additional capital housing first funding to enable an expansion with RSL purchasing properties to provide housing first tenancies, however we anticipate that this will be in local authority areas where the local authority does not manage a housing portfolio. 4.17 We will require to review whether re-establishing a private leasing scheme in West Dunbartonshire is required if funds are made available. Planning services will take forward any recommendations from the National Planning review once this has completed. At present West Dunbartonshire Council is not considering taking a report to introduce rent controls within the private sector however, monitoring will need to be introduced meaning additional resources to keep this under review maybe required once guidance has been issued. 4.18 Several of the actions were included within the new Housing Bill, which was passed by parliament on 30th September, and we now await Royal Assent and further guidance. The wider implications for the West Dunbartonshire Council will be included in a future report to the Housing and Communities Committee in February 2026. 5. People Implications 5.1 Initial analysis of the action plan does not indicate any implications for people. However, many of the actions involved are additional tasks not within current remits therefore may lead to additional staffing resources. The new legislative duties are likely to require additional staffing resources where approval at futures committees if required would be requested. Page 6
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6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan (HEDAP) will need to be considered within the context existing resources available to West Dunbartonshire Council across both the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA). There is currently no additional Grant or Subsidy funding available to Councils because of declaring a Housing Emergency. 6.2 The Housing Emergency Project Board will consider how existing resources can be utilised to ensure delivery of the HEDAP. This will include a review of Core Budgets and any Temporary Funding Sources which may be utilised. 6.3 The additional allocation to West Dunbartonshire Council of acquisition funding of £333k will be drawn down from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme funding in 2025/26, the allocation will further support the Council’s buyback scheme and will focus on moving children out of a homeless environment into permanent accommodation. 6.4 There are no procurement implications to note. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 Regular breaches of statutory homelessness duties partly triggered the declaration of the Housing Emergency, and it is highly probable these will continue without focussed, cross Council and Partnership action led through the Housing Emergency Project Board. 7.2 The Council is also likely to experience significant legal, regulatory, and reputational risk due to shortages of housing supply and related services. Mitigation of these risks are included within the HEDAP, and these will be managed through the Housing Emergency Project Board. 7.3 Housing supply continues to be the key factor in terms of the national and local housing emergencies and if not increased and demand reduced it will lead to continued pressures on temporary accommodation and ultimately Bed & breakfast use which has negative financial implications for the Council’s general fund. 8 Environmental Sustainability 8.1 The delivery of new homes is within the approved More Homes zero carbon approach. Our current and future approach to strategic housing asset management will continue to prioritise a ‘zero carbon’ approach to decision making and deliverability and this will be done the aims of the Housing Asset Management Strategy and the Council’s Climate Change Strategy. 9. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 9.1 An EIA has been carried out and there are no negative equalities impacts due to this update. A separate EIA screening will be conducted for any policy changes because of the implementation of the HEDAP. 10. Consultation Page 7
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10.1 The Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan (HEDAP) was consulted with a range of key stakeholders including the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation. The implementation of the HEDAP is predicated on a consultative and collaborative focus and several key stakeholders are represented on the Housing Emergency Project Board. 11. Strategic Assessment 11.1 Having considered the Council's strategic priorities, this report contributes significantly to all strategic priorities. • Our Communities - Resilient and Thriving • Our Environment - A Greener Future • Our Economy - Strong and Flourishing • Our Council - Inclusive & Adaptable Peter Barry Chief Officer, Housing and Employability Date: 5th November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Person/s to Contact: John Kerr – Housing Development and Homelessness Manager, Housing Development and Homelessness Team, Housing and Employability, telephone: 07793717981, email: john.kerr@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Claire McKay – Housing Development Co-ordinator, Housing Development and Homelessness Team, Housing and Employability, email: Claire.Mckay@west- dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: 1. Housing Emergency Action Plan, October Background Papers: Housing Emergency Declaration, Housing and Communities Committee, May 2024 Tackling Scotland’s Housing Emergency, Scottish Government, September 2025 Supporting documents - Tackling Scotland's Housing Emergency - gov.scot Wards Affected: All Page 8