Clackmannanshire Council Online

Over £14 million to be invested in council housing

Over £14 million will be invested in Clackmannanshire Council's housing in the financial year ahead, following the agreement of the housing capital programme at today’s Council meeting.

Councillors approved an increase to the base rent of 10%, while also agreeing a new rental structure for housing, which means that 72% of tenants will be paying less rent per week from April this year than they would have if the current structure were to be retained.

The average housing rent will now be £97.94 per week.  The rent rise over the period from 2016 has been less than the rate of inflation during that time.

This revised rent structure has been introduced following a review and engagement with our tenants, who supported variance in rent levels that more directly reflected:

• Property Size and Type
• Flatted Properties: whether the flat has a communal door and/or own door
• Ranking of Property Types: whether the house is mid terrace, end/semi and/or detached
• Other characteristics such as age of property, location and energy efficiency: factors should be constant and not be complicated in administration

Cllr Jane McTaggart, Spokesperson for Housing and Property said: “I am pleased to see the Housing budget agreed, following a year of significant work and engagement with our tenants.  This feedback has directly influenced our plans, helping to design a fairer rent and service charge system which meets both customer requirements and Council responsibilities.

“This means that while there has been an increase in rent levels, nearly three-quarters of our tenants will be paying less rent than they would have been under the previous system.  Our Housing Officers are committed to engaging with tenants who have seen a rise in their rent following the changes to the rent structure, and will offer their assistance to ensure household income maximisation is explored and tenants are supported. 

“Our capital spending will allow us to continue to invest in improving our housing stock for our tenants, and in new homes to help meet the demand locally, while dealing with the increasing costs that we face.”