City of Edinburgh Council has rejected online claims that people with settled asylum status were given priority for social housing, saying the allegation is “entirely false.”
The council’s response followed an article in the Telegraph and further discussion on social media.
What the council said
In a statement, the local authority said it does not house asylum seekers, because that is a matter for the Home Office. It said people who have been granted Leave to Remain by the Home Office have legal rights to services, including access to housing and other public services, but are treated the same as every other applicant.
The statement said: “People who have been assessed and granted ‘Leave to Remain’ status by the Home Office have legal rights to services including access to housing and other public services. They are afforded the same process, support and respect as every other applicant.
“It is entirely false to say people in this position have been prioritised for housing.”
The council also said it is legally required to provide advice, assistance and temporary housing to anyone who declares themselves homeless, regardless of whether they have a local connection to Edinburgh.
Housing emergency in Edinburgh
Commenting on its April 2025 decision to pause the letting of council housing, the council said the move was taken to address the housing emergency in Edinburgh and reduce the number of people staying in unsuitable temporary accommodation.
It said: “To address the housing emergency in Edinburgh and to reduce the number of people staying in unsuitable temporary accommodation, we temporarily paused the letting of council homes and accelerated our work to bring empty council housing back into use.
“This has allowed us to prioritise temporary housing for people assessed as legally homeless and to reduce the number of people staying in unsuitable accommodation in accordance with Scottish and UK housing legislation.
“This does not mean that people in this position have a permanent council house.”
Reports by right-leaning media organisations focused on a council report that said around 1,000 refugees were being housed in temporary accommodation across the city, up from fewer than 100 in October 2023.
The report described refugees as examples of “non-preventable” homelessness, along with people who have a local connection to other Scottish local authorities or other parts of the UK.
According to the report, this group made up around 16% of all households in temporary accommodation on June 1, 2026.
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