West Lothian Council's New Rent Collection Strategy

0:00It's April 24th. This is Edinburgh News Today, powered by AI. West Lothian Council housing arrears have hit over 4 million pounds, with 14,367 tenancies averaging about 95 pounds 42 a week. Last year, they evicted 45 tenants, costing 36,000 pounds in fees on top of lost rent. Now, their eyeing changes to how rent gets collected to ease the pressure. The current setup runs collections over 48 weeks, skipping Christmas and year end. Counselors pushed a motion to stretch it to 52 weeks, making payments more manageable for folks hit, by rising costs and sinking better with. Universal Credit Cycles Early intervention is their main play weekly checks, linking tenants to advice shops for benefits and cash help right for move-in day. They aim to keep people housed, only evicting after months of no engagement, since every case is unique and tough. Members like Allison Smith say the 48-week model is long-standing, but worth revisiting

1:00in the new five-year strategy, starting after 20. 27. They'll update local committees regularly, and collections still tops 90% across all nine wards. Counselors from all sides praise the housing teams for their detailed work amid these challenges. Stressing evictions are a last resort that's costly and draining. It's clear they're doubling down on support to cut a rears and stabilize homes.