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31 Aug 2012
The amount owed to the local authorities in unpaid housing rent arrears has reached £36.5 million, figures released today have revealed.
The Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure report also showed that councils across Scotland expect to lose more than £17 million in unlet homes this year, despite there being a substantial queue for housing in many areas.
Scottish Conservative housing spokesman Alex Johnstone MSP said:
“The problem is if there are millions of pounds not being paid in rent, those who do pay will endure rises.
“All rent collected should be channelled into maintaining and improving the council housing stock and not towards compensating for those who don’t bother to pay.
“Councils also have to come up with a more efficient way of collecting rent, and punishing those who fail to pay.
“With a significant number of people on the waiting list for a council house, local authorities must manage their empty stock and waiting lists better to reduce the financial burden of homes lying empty.”
To see the full report visit:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/HRA2008-09
