Stirling Council Spring 2016
Open Door Rent Consultation 2016/17
This edition • Welcome to Kirsty Hill • Tenants Satisfaction Survey • New members needed for HAG • Housing Benefit Backdate • Child Protection Survey
On 25 January 2016, a Special Council meeting agreed to increase by 1% rents for housing, garages, pitch sites and travelling persons’ pitch sites for the 2016 / 2017 financial year. The meeting was informed of the results of the consultation undertaken, in November / December 2015, with all tenants. 5,246 tenants were asked to complete the questionnaire and 340 responses were received, this represents a response rate of 6.5%. The responses to the proposed rent increase, and other questions, are shown below.
Proposed rent increase • 74.9% were in favour of the proposed 1% rent increase with 25.1% against. • 79.6% were very or fairly satisfied with the overall service provided by Stirling Council. • 83.8% thought the rent paid represents very good or fairly good value for money. • 82.6% thought Stirling Council is very good or fairly good at keeping tenants informed about their services and decisions. • 74.3% were very or fairly satisfied with the opportunities given to participate in the Council’s decision making processes. • 89.4% agreed with the investment programme described in the previous edition of Open Door. We would like to thank everyone who returned their survey earlier this year. We would encourage every tenant to complete the survey as your views do matter. Congratulations to Mr Menzies from Buchlyvie and Mr Forbes from Stirling who both won £50 supermarket vouchers.
New Homes Completed and More to Come Ten new homes, built by and to be rented from Stirling Council, were completed in Cowie at the end of 2015 and these are in addition to new homes already completed in Cornton, Plean, Cambusbarron, Killearn and Stirling’s Top of the Town.
At a meeting on 25 February 2016, the Council agreed to invest over £9m in the coming financial year as part of a new house building programme which began in 2010/2011. In this financial year, the Council will buy 12 new properties, for renting, at Kildean and 8 in the next financial year. In 2016/17 and 2017/18, the Council will buy 24 new properties in Raploch. In addition, 8 new homes will be built in Riverside and 5 in Bannockburn. All of these properties will be for social renting.
Since 2012, the Council has built or purchased more than 100 new flats and houses for social renting.