South Lanarkshire Council are set to continue with the process of rent harmonisation.
Proposals for next year’s rent increases are set to go to a Housing and Technical Resources Committee next Thursday (February 14).
However, the process of bringing rents into line right across the region could mean tenants in Rutherglen and Cambuslang having smaller increases than the rest of the area.
When rent harmonisation began in 2011, council tenants in the two towns were paying on average £10 more than in other areas. The discrepancy came from when the towns were part of Glasgow District Council.
The council has met with housing associations and forums to discuss any increase.
Council leader Eddie McAvoy told the Reformer: “It’s up to the housing groups to decide what level of investment they want but also how they will go about harmonising the rent.
“My understanding is a paper will go to the housing committee next week with a proposal to continue with harmonising the rents.
“Places like Rutherglen tend to pay more in rent. Some tenants who are paying a higher rent will experience a lower increase.”
A spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Council said: “There will be proposals put to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee on February 14 regarding the continuation of the harmonisation of council house rents. These proposals are still in draft form, requiring Council’s approval, and as such the detail cannot be provided until after the meeting.”
Council resource committees are meeting this week to discuss their budgets for next year. An announcement on the 2013/14 budget set to be made at an Executive Committee meeting next week. Education will again have the highest budget, expected to be £287.7m.
