Perth and Kinross Council has approved a one per cent rent increase for council tenants.
But SNP councillor Tom McEwan asked housing and communities committee convener Bob Brawn how fair the rise was on those who had lost their jobs in the pandemic.
The Conservative convener agreed to Cllr McEwan’s request to write to the UK chancellor to maintain the current top-up of Universal Credit so as PKC does not get hit with demands.
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Councillors approved the rent increase at a meeting of PKC’s housing and communities committee on Wednesday, February 3.
Directing his comment and question at fellow Blairgowrie and Glens councillor Brawn, Cllr McEwan said: “Universal credit was designed as a punitive benefit encouraging people to go and seek work.
“But obviously because of COVID people are losing their jobs and there are no jobs to replace them. Is it fair on our tenants that they don’t have enough income because of Universal Credit to pay their rent and feed their families?”
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Cllr Brawn said: “The priority is the welfare of tenants - and that includes the financial welfare.
“And I appreciate that many - or the majority - are having financial issues of one sort or another.”
He said the council had expenditures and it was a “fine balance.”
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Cllr Brawn said: “We have to balance the rent between what the outgoings are.
“And some of those outgoings do provide a service we have been talking about - welfare for tenants.
“The one per cent rise was the minimum I think that was needed to cover those costs.”
He referred to statistics from a council officer provided earlier in the meeting which said 86 per cent of tenants could afford this rise without referring back to benefit that is based on income.
Cllr Brawn said the tenants who participated in the tenant engagement process supported the one per cent rise.
Cllr McEwan asked Cllr Brawn to write to chancellor Rishi Sunak to maintain the current top-up of Universal Credit so - as a council - PKC did not get hit with these demands.
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Cllr Brawn said he was “definitely” happy to take that on board, noting: “We must maintain to help our tenants the best we can and I agree I will take that on board definitely.”
Depute director (communities) Clare Mailer said the one per cent rent increase from April 5, 2021 was “in line with the views of tenants” and would ensure PKC’s rent levels “remain affordable and compare favourably to the overall rent levels nationally.”
Councillors were told PKC’s rent levels were the lowest in Tayside and one of the lowest in Scotland.
