Second council house rent hike in two years as the local authority looks to keep pace with maintenance work but some object as arrears mount as some impoverished families struggle to pay
Council house rents are set to rise by two per cent for most tenants.
Members of Highland Council’s housing committee agreed the recommendation by officers after a consultation with tenants found a majority in favour of the rise.
The increase will see the average weekly charge for a council home rise by £1.55, from £77.70 to £79.25.
The rise is due to come into effect from April.
Officers said it would allow levels of housing service and investment to remain at their current rate.
There will be no increase in charges for sheltered housing warden services.
Coming on top of a three per cent hike last year, tenants will have seen annual rents rise by almost £200 in the last two years as the council also faces a growing problem of arrears and a record number of benefit claims among tenants.
Councillors at this week’s housing committee were told the local authority has the seventh lowest average council house rent out of the 26 Scottish local authorities which retain housing stock.
It also has the lowest rents of the five main housing associations operating in the region.
Committee chairman, Councillor Ben Thompson, said: “This year we are very aware of the financial challenges many of our tenants are facing due to the impact of the pandemic.”
He added: “The rent changes agreed today will allow us to continue current levels of housing management service and fund significant ongoing investment and upgrades to our 14,000 council houses.
“Our housing staff will continue to engage closely with tenants and make sure anyone that needs financial help gets the support they need.”
“I would like to thank all our tenants and the tenant forums for taking part in our recent rent consultation which, due to Covid, we had to do online. Despite this new approach we received more feedback than the last time we consulted with our tenants on rent charges.”
But Caithness Conservative councillor Donnie Mackay objected strongly to the increase.
“I have been a councillor for 18 years, slightly more, and every year council rents have gone up,” he said.
“I know it’s only £1.55 but there are people here in poverty, on food parcels.”
He added: “Wages don’t go up and yet we put up the rents and, in the next two months, we’ll put up the council tax.
“I feel for people out there and I’m facing them every day in life.
“Since I have become a councillor rent arrears have been going up and up and up and we are not collecting it.
“If those arrears were all taken, would we need to put up rents?
“I don’t think so.”
