Glasgow’s bill for BnBs triples as council plead for support over growing refugee crisis

The amount spent last year by Glasgow on hotels and bed and breakfast for the homeless was the highest ever.

Glasgow City Council spent a record sum of almost £70 million last year providing hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation to homeless people, mainly refugees.

Shock new figures released under Freedom of Information (FOI) show spending has more than tripled in the last four years. In the last financial year, 2025/26, the hotel and B&B bill was £67,815,500, compared to 45,292,346 in 2024/25, £26,724,422 in 2023/2 and £20,368,474 in 2023/23.

The same Glasgow City Council figures also show that 2773 homeless people are currently in hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation, of which 2030 are refugees.

The increase in spending has been blamed on a surge in migrants being given leave to remain after applying for asylum in the UK, after the Conservatives failed to process applications when they were in power.

Refugees have a legal right to be housed in Scotland that does not exist in England.

The FOI figures also show that 109 families with children are currently living in hotels and B&B and 2990 homeless people were refused temporary accommodation of any type last year.

The information was obtained by the Scottish Tenants Organisation (STO) who are calling instead for the money to be used to build modular prefabricated homes and more council housing.

The STO claim last year’s £67.8 million could instead build 1500 of the prefabs at £45,000 a time.

Campaign co-ordinator Sean Clerkin said:”These latest homeless statistics reveal that we are in the middle of a housing and homeless catastrophe in Glasgow where the profiteers of homeless misery got nearly £70 million from Glasgow City Council in 205/26.

“The number of refugees with the right to remain is still very high and Glasgow cannot cope with this without help.

“The only beneficiaries of this scandal are the owners of the hotels used to house the homeless.”

The STO are also calling for a summit involving the Home Office and the Scottish Government to come up with a proper plan for the homeless and to treat Glasgow as a special case.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson added;”It is the lack of social housing driving up homelessness costs as it forces councils to keep relying on expensive temporary accommodation.

“Building more would save money and prevent cuts to local services. Unless more social homes are built, the housing emergency will only get worse and local authorities cannot tackle it alone.

“The next government must provide more support to the areas that need it most.

“Everyone deserves a home, whether they are fleeing violence abroad or from a partner. Yet people in Glasgow have been failed for many years.”

One 55 year old woman, who asked not to be named, said she had lived in 15 different hotels and B&B in Glasgow in the last 14 months, after being made homeless last year.

The woman, who has a degree in Design and has worked as a college lecturer, says the standards of accommodation is poor and has been exposed to drugs, violence and other criminality.

She said:”I have asthma and the living conditions have made that worse.

“I have been offered crack cocaine and some of the women residents are targeted by kerb crawlers and men looking for sex.

“It can be quite a terrifying experience being in these places.”

As well as hotels and B&B homeless people can also be placed in furnished flats and shelters.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We are very aware of the rising cost of our hotel accommodation bill which has tripled over the past few years.

“A proportion of emergency accommodation costs are recouped via housing benefit and dialogue with Scottish Government remains ongoing in seeking possible longer-term solutions.

“Routine efforts are made to share the burden across Scotland however due to demand, we have been required to expand the use of bed and breakfast accommodation to meet our statutory duties.

“Anyone who finds themselves unintentionally homeless has the right to apply for help from any local authority in Scotland.

“Glasgow’s historic reputation for helping support refugees makes us an attractive city and why many are travelling here to build a new life.”