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Statistical Bulletin Housing Series

Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure 1998-99 to 2000-2001

1. This report provides factual information on local authority housing income and expenditure over the last three years. The 1999-2000 (near actual) and 2000-2001 (estimated) information is based on recent Housing Revenue Account (HRA) returns submitted by local authorities to The Scottish Executive. The 1998-1999 data is based on authorities’ Housing Support Grant (HSG1) returns (except for tables 15 and 16 where the source is authorities’ Certificates of Capital Payments and Receipts (CCPR)). Information on rent arrears (table 10) is taken from separate rent arrears returns.

Summary

2. A summary of housing revenue account income and expenditure for 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 is shown at table 1. A detailed breakdown of this is provided at table 2.

3. Council housing stock is estimated to reduce by around 3.3% from 573,295 houses at 30 September 1999 to 554,134  houses at 30 September 2000 (table 3). The biggest reduction is recorded in Glasgow, from 94,852 to an estimated 89,606.

Rents

4. The average rents charged by individual authorities are shown in table 4. Rents are estimated to increase by an overall average of 4.1% from £36.43 per house per week in 1999-2000 to £37.94  in 2000-2001. Rent levels range from £46.09 per week in Edinburgh to £28.62 per week in Midlothian. The biggest increases were recorded in East Ayrshire (12.4%), Falkirk (11%) and Angus (8.1%). Average rent levels in Moray, Highland, and Edinburgh remained largely unchanged between 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.

5. A comparison with average rent levels in Housing Associations stock and in English local authorities is shown below.

6. In 2000-2001 local authorities estimate that the rent rebate subsidy will total around £658 million (just over 60% of total rental income). Table 5 illustrates the proportion of rental income raised through rent rebates in each authority.

Management and Maintenance (MM) Expenditure

7. MM expenditure is made up of expenditure on supervision and management (mainly staffing costs) and the repair and maintenance of the housing stock. The average MM expenditure of Scottish local authorities is estimated to increase by 7.8% from £1031 per annum per house in 1999-2000 to £1111 in 2000-2001. MM expenditure ranges from £797 per house in Aberdeenshire to £1433 per house in Perth & Kinross (table 6). Differing accounting practices mean that the figures shown for individual authorities may not always be comparable.

8. Within overall MM expenditure:

8.1 average supervision and management (SM) costs are estimated to increase by 7.6% from £341 per house in 1999-2000 to £367 in 2000-2001. SM costs range from £231 in North Ayrshire to £509 in Stirling (table 7). As local authorities differ in the extent to which central administration costs are included in SM expenditure, again individual figures may not always be comparable.

8.2 expenditure on repairs and maintenance (RM) is estimated to increase by 7.7% from £690 per house in 1999-2000 to £743 per house in 2000-2001 (table 8). RM expenditure ranges from £427 per house in Aberdeenshire to £1121 per house in Falkirk.

Rents Lost Because of Un-let Houses

9. Rents lost are estimated to reduce from £32.8 million in 1999-2000 to £30.1 million in the current year (table 9). The figures for some councils include rents lost on properties lying empty while awaiting demolition.

Rent Arrears

10. Total rent arrears were reported as having increased from £49.9 million as at 30 September 1998 to £54.9 million as at 31 December 1999. Details on rent arrears and rent arrears written off are provided at tables 10 and table 11. Comparisons between councils on the latter may not always be meaningful due to differing policies on write-off.

Housing Revenue Account Surpluses

11. Tables 12 and table 13 show housing revenue account surpluses by local authority. Capital expenditure funded from revenue income is estimated to be over £113 million in both 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. Authorities carried forward revenue balances of almost £57 million from 1999-2000 to 2000-2001.

Capital Debt

12. The total local authority housing debt in Scotland as at 1 April 2000 was estimated to be £3.674 billion compared to £3.775 billion at 1 April 1999. The average debt per house as at 1 April 2000 is estimated to be £6,517. Debt levels in individual authorities range from £2,727 per house in Midlothian to £27,074 per house in Shetland (table 14).

Capital Expenditure and Capital Receipts

13. Table 15 illustrates the level of authorities’ total housing capital expenditure between 1998-1999 and 2000-2001 financed from all sources (i.e. new borrowing, usable receipts and capital funded from revenue income). HRA capital receipts, shown in table 16, arise mainly from the sale of council houses.

Scottish Executive Development Department
October 2000

Tables

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