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Housing Revenue Account budget for 2019/20 and Business Plan

Published: 18/02/2019

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve and recommend to the Council the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget for 2019/20 and the summary HRA 30 year Financial Business Plan when it meets on Tuesday 19 February.

The HRA 30 year Business Plan covers the ambitious council house building programme, repair and maintenance of homes, stock improvement and environmental improvements, neighbourhood management including resolving anti-social behaviour and estate caretaking, income collection and customer involvement for its 7,300 Council properties.

The council is required to meet the Welsh Government target for rent levels for council homes over time, and the formula for setting rents each year is also set by Welsh Government. The way rents are currently calculated (Consumer Price Index “CPI” + 1.5% + up to £2 per week) expires on 31 March 2019.  For 2019/20 only, an interim policy will apply which will see the annual uplift set at CPI only – i.e. 2.4%.  Social landlords can also only apply “up to £2 per week” if the average weekly rent is below their Target Rent Band.

This will be in place for one year until the Affordable Housing Supply Review, being undertaken by Welsh Government, has concluded.

Garage rents are set to increase by £1 per week and a garage plot rent increase of £0.20 per week is proposed.

Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Bernie Attridge, said:

“£22.9m has been built into our Council House improvement programme for 2019/20. This includes provision for internal work (kitchens and bathrooms), external work (windows, doors, roofing, guttering), environmental programmes, adaptations for those with disabilities, energy efficiency works and strategic acquisition.

“In addition, there is £11.3m available for the Council’s house build schemes to ensure that more council houses are built during 2019/20.”