Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure, 2014/15

1st November 2015

Updated statistics on HRA Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure (2014/15) have been released today by Scotland's Chief Statistician. The main findings are:

Total housing income and expenditure. Total HRA income (£1.1bn) is forecast to exceed total HRA expenditure (£900m) in 2015-16 (a £205m surplus). Local Authorities reinvest surpluses back into their housing stock.

Council houses and rents. There were an estimated 314,400 council houses in Scotland on 2015. Average council rent was £65 per week on average, ranging from £50 per week in Moray to £90 in The City of Edinburgh.

Management and maintenance of stock. Average expenditure on management and maintenance was £1,880 per house in 2014-15, down £3 per house on 2013-14.

Rent arrears. In 2015, rent arrears on all properties on council HRA properties stood at £55m, representing 5.5% of the Standard Rental Income on these properties. This increased by £5m since 2014.

Housing debt. Local Authorities budgeted to spend £280m on loan charges (interest, capital repayment and loan fund expenses) in 2014-15. Council housing debt increased by £350m in 2014-15 to reach £3.6bn.

Capital expenditure. Local Authorities' capital expenditure totalled £665m in 2014-15. Of this, £430m was spent on improvements to existing dwellings and £195m on new construction and conversion.

See reports at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/HRAmainpage