A Full Meeting of North Ayrshire Council on Wednesday, February 15, agreed to set rent levels for 2023/24.

Members voted to increase the average rent by £4.99 per week. This was the lowest of the three options on which tenants were consulted and will ensure continued investment in the council’s housing stock, with total planned revenue expenditure of almost £58 million next year.

In addition, the £172m capital programme will support the delivery of 1,625 new homes by 2028, alongside major improvements to existing homes, covering roofing, solar PV installation, insulated rendering, rewiring, new kitchens, heating upgrades, new bathrooms and window replacement.

Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for place, said: “The cost-of-living crisis continues to be at the forefront of our minds in all the decisions we make. Setting rent levels for next year is no different.

“We consulted heavily with our tenants on the proposed rent levels, and I’m delighted to see we had our highest-ever response with more than 1,100 tenants submitting their views.

“Around three-quarters of tenants opted for an average rent increase of £4.99 per week for 2023/24 and that’s the increase which has now been agreed by elected members.

“It’s worth noting that around 25 per cent of respondents indicated a preference for a higher rent increase – I think that’s a recognition of the valuable level of service our Housing team provides and shows they want to ensure our housing stock is protected for future generations.

“It’s also worth noting that North Ayrshire has the lowest average rent level of all North Ayrshire social landlords and continues to be below the Scottish average.”

The new rate is due to applied from April 1, 2023.