GLASGOW’S homelessness service is to be investigated by the Housing Regulator.

The watchdog is to probe how the council deals with people who are homeless and the council reporting failings in its statutory duty to provide accommodation to a number of people.

The regulator said it will visit the council to directly test its performance, with a particular focus on how the council discharges its duty to provide people with emergency and temporary accommodation.

A report published by the regulator on the council in March last year highlighted a range of serious weaknesses in its performance in delivering services to people who are homeless.

Kathleen McInulty, assistant director of regulation, said: “We have been monitoring the council’s performance since our report last year.

“The council is reporting that it continues to fail to meet its duties to provide temporary and emergency accommodation to a significant number of people who approach it for help.

“It also reported that people who are homeless are still waiting significant times for a permanent home.”

The Shelter charity has been campaigning on what it calls “gate-keeping” and people not being provided with accommodation when they first seek help, and has launched court proceedings against the council.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Since we launched our legal action in August, thousands of people have joined our movement to stand up for justice for the homeless people Glasgow is failing.

“We welcome any move which is designed to guarantee that homeless people in Glasgow receive the homeless services and emergency accommodation to which they have a legal right.

“Our concerns about Glasgow City Council’s failures are wide-ranging – from cuts to drug treatment beds, cuts to supported accommodation and an over-reliance on insufficient winter shelters.

“At a time when 45 homeless people died last year, Glasgow needs better.”

The council said there are specific issues Glasgow has to contend with and said it is making progress.

Susanne Millar, interim chief officer of the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “The significant problems Glasgow faces in dealing with homelessness are well documented and we have been working with the regulator on these since 2016.

“Glasgow is feeling the effects of welfare reform particularly acutely and the number of individuals affected by poor mental health or drug addiction is far greater than any other part of the country.

“We have plans in place to quickly rehouse people who are homeless and to help people to manage to stay in their homes, but there is still some way to go in meeting our statutory obligations and ultimately ending homelessness in the city.

“I welcome SHR’s intervention. I am confident we can demonstrate that we are moving in the right direction, help them to understand the massive scale of the problems Glasgow is dealing with and work with them on future improvements to how we help people who are homeless.”