East Lothian Has Longest Social Housing Wait Times in Scotland

East Lothian has long social housing waits. A new report says waits average nearly five years. Edinburgh’s wait is 3.8 years. West Lothian’s wait is 2.2 years.

Alan Boswell Group surveyed UK councils. East Lothian ranked sixth longest in the UK. Only Aberdeen had longer waits in Scotland. The average UK wait time was 2.9 years.

Eight Scottish councils did not respond. East Lothian Council had 307 empty houses. The council said this number dropped to 228. They declared an affordable housing emergency last year.

The council is trying to solve key issues. They recognize high demand, especially for one-bedroom places. They are working to reuse empty homes.

East Lothian is a popular place to live. Social housing demand is high and turnover is low. Council rent is low, but private rent is expensive and scarce. The council says the report’s numbers are incomplete.

Alan Boswell Group said vacant homes are a concern. They risk property problems and security issues. Fixing this helps those on waiting lists.

AIPRM urged councils to use artificial intelligence. AI can analyze preferences and housing availability. It could help make real-time decisions. AI can identify refusal patterns.

Councils could then set offer limits. It could also reassess applicants’ housing needs. One Aberdeen applicant rejected 13 offers.

Their application stayed active for seventeen years. Technology could prevent such cases. Technology plus fair limits could cut wait times.

Occupancy would improve, which benefits both applicants and local authorities.