Council To Consult Over Extending Pressured Area Status

23rd May 2011

Highland Councillors have agreed to consult with tenants, residents and social landlords over a proposal to extend Highland's pressured area status from five years to the new maximum period of 10 years to ensure that social rented houses are available to rent in the future.

The outcome of the consultation will be reported to the next meeting of the Council's Housing and Social Work Committee on Wednesday 10 August.

Suspension of right to buy due to Pressured Area Status (PAS) only affects tenants with Modernised Right to Buy entitlements i.e. those who have started a tenancy since 30 September 2002. (Tenants with the preserved (old) Right to Buy living in communities covered by pressured area status can still buy their homes).

The implication of the proposed extension, enabled by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, is that tenants with a modernised right to buy entitlement living in communities covered by the pressured area designation will have their right to buy suspended for the maximum period of the designation of 10 years. The Council could then renew the designation for a further period, subject to further consultation and consideration of whether pressured area status was still required.

89% of the Highlands is now covered by pressured area designation. The only area of the Highlands where the restriction on council house sales does not apply is Caithness, where only Thurso and its neighbouring communities of Forss, Geise, Glengolly, Janetstown, Scrabster and Weydale are covered by the pressured area designation.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Housing and Social Work Committee, said: "Assessments of housing need and demand indicate that the large shortages of affordable rented housing across the Highlands will persist into the future. The Act introduces more flexibility and gives the council local control in providing affordable rented accommodation."

Around 6,000 council and housing association tenants in Highland currently have their right to buy suspended through Pressured Area Status and will be affected by extending the suspension. Around 93% of them are council tenants.

Over 7,000 council tenants can still buy their home through the right to buy - either because they have preserved right to buy or because they live in Caithness communities which are not covered by Pressured Area Status.