Following yesterday’s announcement by the UK Housing Minister that Councils in England will be given the financial freedom to reinvest their council rents and will no longer have to pay them to the Treasury, the WLGA is calling on the UK Government and the Assembly for clarity on how this will affect councils in Wales.
The complex financial arrangements for council housing have forced Councils in Wales to pay over £1billion of tenant’s rents to the Treasury since 1999 with payments of over £70million each year.
Cllr Aled Roberts (Wrexham), WLGA Spokesperson for Housing said:
“We are pleased that the UK Government has decided to scrap the unfair council housing finance arrangements but Wales must not be left out. Scottish councils do not pay tenants rents to the Treasury and soon this will be the case in England. We must not be left in a situation where only Welsh councils have to pay tenant’s rents to the Treasury and do not have the financial freedom to invest rents in improving homes.”
“It is essential that the coming legislation addresses the unfair financing arrangements in Wales as well as England. We are therefore seeking assurances from both the Assembly and the UK Government that the changes will also end the unfair arrangement in Wales.”
