Agenda item

With reference to article 12 of the minute of Council of 1 October 2025, the Committee had before it by way of a referral, a report by the Chief Officer - Finance which presented the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan for approval and a short term Housing Asset Plan, which was aligned to the recently approved Local Housing Strategy, which informed the development of the Business Plan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)           approve the HRA Business Plan at Appendix A to this report;

(b)           note the key challenges outlined in the Housing Asset Plan at Appendix B and agree the associated priority actions;

(c)           agree that the HRA Business Plan and Housing Asset Plan should be updated and reported in future to the Communities Housing and Public Protection Committee on an annual basis with the update in 2026 moving to a 5 and 30 year model for both Plans; and

(d)           note the requirement for the Council to maintain HRA reserves for financial resilience and sustainability purposes.

The Convener moved, seconded by the Vice Convener:-

          that the Committee approve the recommendations.

Councillor Malik, seconded by Councillor Watson, moved as an amendment:-

          that the Committee:-

(1)          note the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee unanimously agreed to declare a local housing emergency in September 2024, and note the proposed HRA Business Plan at Appendix A of this report, does nothing to remedy this housing emergency;

(2)          agree the previous administration procured and built 2,000 Council homes, the largest social housing building programme in Aberdeen in over 30 years;

(3)          agree, thanks to the previous administration, grant funding has been found for all the developments which include the 2,000 new council homes, noting the Partnership has been unable to find grant funding for 222 Council homes at Cloverhill this financial year, which will put a £22m strain on the HRA account, therefore agrees that the Chief Officer – Finance, following consultation with the Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, writes to the Scottish Government highlighting the success of the previous administration’s 2,000 new Council homes ambition and asking for access to funding from that committed as part of the national Housing Emergency Action Plan to develop a retrofit programme for post war properties to improve their condition to ensure that unnecessary and unwelcome increases in rent are avoidable;

(4)          agree average rent under this SNP/Liberal Democrat administration has gone up by 5.4% since they came to power in 2022, meaning rents have gone up at their fastest level since 2012;

(5)          agree the HRA 30-year plan assumes no additional new build beyond those that have already been approved, meaning the city is unable to further increase the proportion of Council tenants living in new build homes;

(6)          agree the SNP/Liberal Democrat Administration in Aberdeen are the only authority in Scotland to confirm a housing emergency then simultaneously agree to knock down over 500 houses in Torry, Aberdeen when the most obvious solution was to work with tenants and homeowners to repair the properties to an acceptable standard; and  

(7)          agree not to adopt the HRA 30-year Business Plan and to instruct the Chief Officer - Finance to bring forward further information to the HRA budget meeting in December 2025 on the implications of funding new build properties through the HRA.

On a division, there voted – for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Greig, McLellan and Mennie – for the amendment (3) – Councillors Malik, Nicoll and Watson.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.