More than 24,000 disabled Scots are waiting for social housing, with new figures obtained by the Conservatives showing one person has been on the list for a home for almost 60 years.

Data obtained under Freedom of Information (FoI) requests reveals there are 24,209 disabled people on housing waiting lists, up from 9,714 in 2017 – an increase of almost 150 per cent.

But the Scottish Conservatives have suggested the true extent of the problem is likely to be far higher, with only 23 of the country’s 32 councils providing information.

The Tories also found that, at Edinburgh City Council, one person – who self-assessed as disabled – had been on the common housing register for social housing since March 1, 1963.

Council bosses in the capital said in its response to the FoI request that “this application is registered by a household who have a home and are therefore classed as a ‘mover’ for bidding through the choice-based letting system”.

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Commenting on the figures, Miles Briggs, the Conservative spokesman for social justice, housing and local government, described the Scottish Government’s record on social housing as “shameful”.

He said: “These shocking statistics show that it is the most vulnerable who are suffering as a result of it.”

Mr Briggs added that disabled Scots were having to wait for a new home from either the council or a housing association at the same time as “tens of thousands of unoccupied properties are lying empty, often derelict, across the county, neglected by Nicola Sturgeon’s government”.

He said: “It is appalling that almost 67,000 viable properties – 55,000-plus of them domestic properties – are being wasted in this way.

“To leave disabled people languishing on waiting lists for years – and in some cases decades – is disgraceful, especially when there are so many buildings lying empty.”

The Scottish Tories support relaxing planning laws to make it easier to redevelop empty properties, with this included in the party’s 2021 election manifesto.

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But Mr Briggs said the figures also underlined the need for an independent commissioner who would be a champion for disabled Scots – something fellow Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour has proposed in a member’s Bill.

A disability commissioner would help with the “job of championing the cause of disabled Scots and shining a light on injustices such as this”, Mr Briggs said.

Lucy Smith, who is Scotland’s youngest Motor Neurone Disease sufferer, is backing calls for accessible housing for others diagnosed with the condition, after struggling to find a suitable home in Moray for her needs.

She said she is not surprised by the sharp rise in the number of disabled people on housing waiting lists.

Mrs Smith, 28, who has two young children, moved into a four-bedroom bungalow three months ago and said it has “transformed” her life.

She added: “I’ve got my independence back. It has changed my life so much, but I know there were five other families fighting for the bungalow, and that’s just one house in Elgin, so I dread to think what the situation is like in Aberdeen or across Scotland.

“We don’t just need new homes, we need to think about the type of homes we are building.”

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A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted so they can participate as full and equal citizens.

“Wherever possible all new affordable homes are designed to meet people’s needs as they change over time, including people with disabilities.

“We have issued guidance for local authorities to deliver more wheelchair-accessible housing, and councils will soon have to report annually on targets for delivering accessible homes.

“Disabled applicants are given priority access to our low cost initiative for first time buyers schemes, including open market shared equity (OMSE), which help people on low to moderate incomes buy a home.

“We recently widened eligibility to OMSE to ensure as many people as possible could benefit.

“Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK, having delivered almost 113,000 affordable homes since 2007, over 79,000 of which were for social rent.”