Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Statistics: Scottish Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure 1997-98 to 2021-22 (actuals) 2022-23 (estimates)

14. Tenant Consultation by Councils about HRAs

14.1 The survey asks councils about the extent and nature of any consultation they had undertaken with tenants in the previous year, for example, in terms of how the HRA budget had been spent or plans for future HRA expenditure. A framework for the involvement of landlords and tenants regarding the HRA is set out in A Framework for Supporting Tenant Involvement and the HRA Guide Implementation.

14.2 Twenty-four of the twenty-six returning councils reported that they had undertaken tenant consultation about the HRA, one council did not and one council did not provide a response to this question. A frequently reported consultation topic was about rent rise proposals and HRA spending plans. Other topics included:

• impacts of the cost of living crisis
• impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• value for money
• new build lettings plans
• plans for Gypsy/ Traveller sites
• council housing stock improvements
• service delivery
• tenant priorities
• affordability

14.3 Councils reported a variety of methods used to consult tenants about the HRA, the most frequent included online/ virtual tenant consultations due to the COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions. Other consultation methods included:

• tenant working groups and committees
• tenant mailed letter
• tenant consultation questionnaires
• tenant newsletters
• tenant magazines
• tenant meetings (virtual and face to face)

14.4 Councils were also asked if they had done an Audit of Compliance with the Guidance on the Operation of Local Authority HRAs in Scotland. Twelve councils reported that they had, ten said no but with some of these reporting HRA reviews, one council did not provide a response and three councils were planning an audit.

14.5 Twelve councils reported they had used the HRA Self-Assessment Framework, eleven said no, one gave no reply, one is planning to and one said it was assessed by two external organizations.

14.6 Another survey question asks the following "In 2021-22 have any HRA surpluses been used to fund non-HRA costs incurred due to COVID-19 and if so by how much (£)?". Twenty-five of twenty six councils said no and one gave no response.