At the recent special meeting of Full Council, a report was presented on the rent consultation for 2025/26 and agreement was reached that housing rent would increase by 7%, which is £5.95 a week over 52 weeks.
An extensive consultation with tenants took place between 2 December and 24 January 2025, and two proposals were presented. Proposal one was for a rent increase of 7%, while proposal two was for an increase of 8% or £6.80 a week over 52 weeks, and this increase would have been used to deliver 50 affordable new homes at an un-named site within East Ayrshire.
The response to the consultation was overwhelmingly positive. 78% felt that the rent they pay is good value and 82% were happy with the level of consultation and information that the Council provided over the proposed rent increases, up from 74% last year. 86% of those who responded chose proposal one.
Councillor Jim McMahon, Spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities said:
“The views of our tenants matter and shape the decisions that are taken by the Council and by Housing Services.
“It is clear that our tenants supported proposal one and also that their priority is improving existing housing stock, with 73% of tenants stating this was their top priority. The rent increase will ensure that our Housing Investment Programme will continue at pace, and over £132 million has been earmarked over the next five years to focus on issues that matter to our tenants, like improving energy efficiency.
“I was out visiting tenants recently with officers from Housing Services, viewing improvement works that are underway and hearing the benefits to tenants from the external envelope enhancements. This work means that everything is addressed at the same time, from rendering to guttering to insulation, and makes our homes warmer and more energy efficient. Over the next year, 400 tenants will benefit from this work, while 800 tenants will receive new heating systems, 200 will get new windows and 680 will receive upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms and rewiring. This work is also having an impact on local young people who have been accepted onto our apprenticeship programmes and are working towards their qualifications in a number of trades, including joinery, plumbing and gas fitting.
“Housing Services will also be continuing with the extensive house building programme. Over the last 11 years we have built over 602 new homes, with 48 net zero homes just completed at Kennedy Drive in Kilmarnock.
“Finally, our tenants overwhelmingly recognise that their rent is good value. We are delivering for our tenants and our communities and will continue to do so through our housing improvement and house building programmes, while keeping our tenants’ views at the heart of our decision making and future planning.”
