Hard-pressed council house tenants in Angus face a 7% hike in rents this week.
The average rise of £3.59 will take the new average Angus weekly rent figure to £53.49, which officials say will keep local levels among the lowest in Scotland and help fund the building of 100 new council homes.
The 7.2% increase is the lowest of three options detailed in the annual rent-setting report which will go before a special meeting of the council’s neighbourhood services committee on Wednesday.
Officials say the recommended increase will support continuing investment in stock and new-build project, with almost 150 new council houses planned for the district in the next three years.
The authority has praised tenants’ groups for their active role in determining what this year’s rise will be and say the final recommendation is the outcome of a ground-up process driven by the tenant movement.
But the report reveals a weak response to a rent-setting questionnaire sent out to every council house in the county with just 1,214 forms were completed a 16% return.
The joint report states: ”A significant amount of time and effort is invested by the council’s tenants in the rent-setting process and, on a monthly basis, tenants have given up their time and gathered from across Angus to meet, discuss, and sometimes argue over the best way forward.
”Angus Council can take pride in its tenants’ movement. We have a very knowledgeable tenants’ movement who are prepared to give up their valuable time to work with the council to shape the future housing investment strategy for Angus.
”This year has again seen lively, and at times vocal, debate as the tenants have negotiated to reach their recommended preferred rent increase of 7.2%.”
The report continues: ”We intend to continue building on this history of involvement and ensure that we work hand-in-hand with our tenants as we modernise policies and seek to continue to improve our services.”