COUNCIL bosses say they have offered to meet with housing campaigners over claims they are breaking the law with homeless applications.

Shelter Scotland staff and volunteers protested outside the City Chambers claiming the council acted illegally more than 3000 times by turning away homeless people who looked to it for help.

Shelter claim that the council is “gatekeeping” which it defines as “stopping people from accessing the homeless services which they are entitled to by law.”

The council does not dispute the figures but states it is not “gatekeeping” but is trying to balance resources against individual needs.

Shelter said the statistics show that on 3025 occasions Glasgow City Council did not accept a homeless application or didn’t provide temporary accommodation while it carried out inquiries.

Sharon Berry, Shelter Glasgow Hub Manager said: “We are asking they stop this practice.”

The council, however, said it has offered to meet with Shelter but has not had an acceptance.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “GCC strongly refutes Shelter’s accusations of ‘gatekeeping’. Senior council officers have been seeking to meet with them over a number of months to discuss the issues they raised earlier in the year. Shelter has not responded to those requests for a meeting.”

The council said there are pressures on the homeless accommodation service and it is working with the Housing Regulator and social landlords to address them.

The spokesman added: “The council is not gatekeeping resources, but has to manage on a daily basis the availability of emergency, temporary, and supported accommodation against needs. On the occasions when we are unable to meet immediate need, having exhausted all options we ensure we provide help as soon as we possibly can.”

Ms Berry said Shelter want a meeting with either Susan Aitken, the council leader, Susanne Millar, chief operations officer at health and social care, or Mhairi Hunter, chair of the Health and Social Care Partnership.

Ms Hunter, said: “ I have personally offered twice in meetings with Shelter to be a direct point of contact for them if they have issues they want to raise. But they have not taken me up on the offer.”