Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Statistics: Scottish Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure 1997-98 to 2022-23 (near actuals) & 2023-24 (budgeted estimates)

10. Movement in the HRA reserves (chart 12) (tables 2a, 3)

10.1 In any given year, expenditure on the day-to-day maintenance and management of council housing tends to be less than the income from council house rents. The surplus income is spent on capital investment in housing including new council houses and improvements to existing stock (these improvements are in addition to the day-to-day maintenance) or added to the HRA reserves.

10.2 In 2022-23 Scottish Local Authorities had a surplus on their HRA (i.e. income minus expenditure) totalling £180m, which contributed to £191m of capital funded from revenue when added to other transfers into the HRA from other funds.

10.3 In 2022-23, £34m was transferred out of the HRA fund into other council funds such as the Housing Repairs and Renewals, Contingency Fund Funds or the HRA Capital Plan. Equally some small sums were transferred into the HRA fund (£30.3m in 2022-23).