Annual performance spotlights

Connect outcome - Housing and land

Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live

What communities told us:

Provide good value affordable rents for tenants while allowing continued investment, particularly in the current economic climate.
Where I live there is a good community spirit
The Gypsy/Traveller community have stated that ‘By working with the council, our community have been fully involved in the decision-making process about the new facilities making us feel valued.’

What success will look like:

Increased levels of affordable rented homes
Improved outcomes for households experiencing homelessness, including access to settled accommodation
Ensure our repairs service continues to meet the needs of customers
More energy efficient council homes

Case study: Providing children and young people with a permanent home to call their own

Over the past few years there has been a significant increase in the number of homeless households across Scotland, including those with children and young people. In South Lanarkshire, this has led to an unprecedented increase of 16% (March 2023 to March 2025) in the number of households living in temporary accommodation.

Whilst the temporary accommodation used by the council is mainstream council housing providing an initial safe space to reside and meeting basic needs, the council strategic approach is founded upon the understanding that temporary accommodation is not suitable for children or young people in the long term.

Through the Market Purchase Scheme, part of the wider Affordable Housing Supply Programme, the council purchases existing homes being sold privately and converts them to council tenancies.

Significantly increasing the scale of the Market Purchase Scheme to acquire larger family homes across priority areas has been one of the key actions progressed to help tackle the surge in homelessness and the increase in households with children and young people living in temporary accommodation.

130 homes were purchased in 2024-25, 56 of which comprised three or four bedrooms and suitable for families. 33 of these have been let and have provided a permanent home to 68 children and young people, who were either homeless or living in another home that did not meet their family’s needs. A further 23 larger homes are in the process of being upgraded and will be allocated in the coming months. The Scheme has supported a 25% reduction in the average time spent in temporary accommodation for households with children and young people.

How we did in 2024-25

Average time taken to relet empty properties. The target is 28 days. In 2024-25 the average time taken to relet empty properties was 19.3 days, a decrease from 22.1 days in 2023-24. The target has been met, and performance is improving.

See Housing

Repairs completed right first time. The target is 90%. In both 2024-25 and 2023-24, the percentage of repairs completed right first time was 99%. The target has been met, and performance is being maintained.

See Housing repairs

Percentage of lets to urgent homeless (UH) households. The target is 55%. In 2024-25 the percentage of lets to urgent homeless (UH) households was 62.5%, a decrease from 62.9% in 2023-24. The target has been met, but performance is not improving.

See Homelessness

91.9% of new tenancies were sustained for over a year in 2024–25, down from 92.2% in 2023–24. The 88% target was met, but performance declined.

See Housing