An action plan to tackle the housing emergency in West Dunbartonshire has been published.

The plan was developed after the council’s convener of housing and communities, Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, formally declared a housing emergency in May.

This was followed by the Scottish Government declaring a national housing emergency two weeks later.

Since then, a project board led by the chief officer of housing and employability and supported by senior council officers has been set up to monitor the situation.

The board will meet monthly to assess the progress of the Housing Emergency Action Plan and provide updates to the Housing and Communities Committee.

The action plan identifies four main themes.

These focus on the delivery and maintenance of homes, making the best use of existing stock, enhancing housing access and preventing homelessness, and strengthening the financial viability of existing housing budgets.

Councillor Johal said: “Making a housing emergency declaration was an important step in recognising that there is an issue in West Dunbartonshire, driven by a demand for homes, but the Council itself is limited in its means to finding a solution and this must be a collective effort.

“The staff who work within our housing section do fabulous work day in, day out but this strategy is about how we can work better to get the most out of our budgets and our resources in order to maximise our housing stock.

“A vital part of this will involve sustained engagement with local and national stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, making clear the challenges we face and seeking their input to work together towards a better future for our tenants and residents. That is something we all strive for.”

The action plan will involve increasing the buy-back scheme and exploring external funding options to enable the construction of more homes.

Additional scrutiny will be placed on the council’s approach to empty homes, with efforts to reduce void times and re-let long-term empty homes.

Preventative measures against homelessness will remain a priority.

The council will also review its own budgets and current funding models to ensure it can deliver the housing plan.

Consultation on the draft Housing Emergency Declaration Action Plan has already been held with key stakeholders including the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation.

Councillor Hazel Sorrell, vice convener of Housing and Communities, said: “I am delighted that this plan has already been endorsed by the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation as they know first-hand of the concerns within the heart of our communities.

“This action plan focuses on how we can scrutinise our own processes to get the best out of our budgets and our housing stock as well as engaging with other organisations. This will not be easy but is an important task to undertake.”