“I think there’s a bit of truth in both sides of the argument,” he said.

“There is increasing frustration among many on the housing list, especially young people looking for their first house.

“It’s quite clear the cost of getting on the housing ladder is outwith the reach of many young people and as a consequence of that there’s an increasing pressure on local authority housing.

“I am also well aware there are many houses in the city which are unletable, due to a combination of factors, the area, lack of upgrading.

“But the real issue is that the housing situation requires an approach which is measured and cool heads should prevail.

“I think whether it’s a crisis or not, there are clearly major issues and I can see merit in the stances taken by both sides in this.

“But rather than have a stand-off they should be getting together and analysing the situation and pooling the skills of all sides to get an improvement.

“There are real human issues and pressures upon families and others when seeking housing and there has to be a very humane and understanding approach to this situation.

“Some people are in a desperate state and it’s very difficult for them to understand the complexities of policies and decisions.

“I remember when they were talking about demolishing the multis at the time I asked the housing director Elaine Zwirlien, ‘Where are you going to put the people and what effect will it have on waiting list pressures?’”

“Her answer was that it was all being managed.

“Whether that’s true or not I think there’s justification for a measured, all-party approach to finding a solution to the problems of families who are in need of better housing.

“Their needs are much more important than scoring political points and we should be looking at this in the interests of the people we are supposed to be representing in this city.”