Published on:
20
February 2004
A 4.1% rise in council house rents from 1 April 2004 was announced today by Clackmannanshire Council.
This will mean an average rent increase of £1.71 per week and brings the average weekly rent to £43.54. Clackmannanshire's rent levels remain significantly below the Scottish average.
All money raised through rents will be invested into services and improvements for council tenants.
Councillor Sam Ovens, Convener of the Housing, Health and Social Services Committee said: "The decision to raise rents is never taken lightly and was done in consultation with the Tenants and Residents Federation, who do an excellent job representing council house tenants. We believe it is a sustainable increase and one that will allow us to continue to provide a quality housing service to our tenants.
"It is a time of great change for public sector housing both at a national and a local level. The new Housing Act will have an impact over several years and will require changes to many areas of work including the way we manage housing and provide for homelessness. Locally we have produced a local housing strategy - currently out for consultation - which sets out how we will meet housing challenges over the next 5 years.
"Today's rent increase has been set against a backdrop of a number of new challenges. But tenants can be assured that every single penny raised through rents will be invested back into our local housing stock to ensure that it is kept up to a modern standard and will more than meet the new Scottish Housing Quality Standard guidelines announced by the Executive only last week.
The proposed Housing Capital Programme was also approved which will see more than £13 million invested into council housing over the next three years. A more detailed report will be brought to the council in the near future.