Agenda item

·         Partnership budget

·         Labour budget

·         Conservative budget

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Finance which provided information to enable the Council to approve a housing revenue and capital budget for 2026/27, including setting of the rents and other charges on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for the financial year.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           approve the budget as attached in Appendix 1, page 2, of the report;

(b)           approve the setting of the weekly unrebated rents, an increase of 12%, for municipal homes in Appendix 1, pages 3 to 4 of the report, to take effect from Monday 6 April 2026;

(c)           note the level of revenue contribution to the Housing Capital budget for 2026/27 is £nil as detailed in Appendix 1, pages 27 to 29;

(d)           note the proposed budget leads to a surplus for the year of £1.765m, which would increase the HRA working balances as at 31 March 2027, and this supported the approved strategy of restoring the working balances to 10% of HRA Revenue to meet future operational requirements and risks, noting that if the Housing Revenue Account recorded a deficit and had no reserves then the Council’s General Fund must make a contribution to balance the Account;  

(e)           approve the level of miscellaneous rents and service charges, including Heat with Rent and the General Fund Support Services Charges as detailed in Appendix 1, pages 22 to 23, to take effect from Monday 6 April 2026;

(f)             approve, based on a rental increase of 12% the Base Capital Programme for the financial years 2026/27, 2027/28, 2028/29, 2029/2030 and 2030/31 Appendix 1, pages 27 to 29;

(g)           note the inclusion of the tiered trend analysis of the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2026/27, page 5 in Appendix 1, and the current actions to move spend from Tier 2 Early Intervention to Tier 1 Prevention; 

(h)           approve the permanent inclusion of a £1,000,000 Rent Assistance Fund from, 2026/27;

(i)             note the results of the tenant consultation in respect of  the  move from a 48 week to a 52 week rent structure, alongside affordability considerations and determine whether to implement a change or to maintain the status quo, page 15; and

(j)             delegate authority to the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord in consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance, Chief Officer - Capital and the Chief Officer - Housing to vire monies within the Housing Capital Plan to support any works that may be required to review the non-traditional housing stock and city centre multi storeys, retrospectively reporting any virement to the next available meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee as part of the Quarterly Financial Performance reports.   

Councillor Radley moved, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

That the Council approve the Partnership HRA budget as contained here at pages 3 to 5.

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

That the Council approve the Labour HRA budget as contained here at pages 7 to 11.

Councillor Houghton moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Brooks:-

That the Council approve the Conservative HRA budget as contained here at pages 13 to 15.

There being a motion and two amendments, the Council first divided between the two amendments.

On a division, there voted:-

For the amendment by Councillor Malik  (12)  - Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

For the amendment by Councillor Houghton   (7)  -  Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, McLeod and Nicoll.

Declined to vote  (24)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Buchanan, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Massey, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

The Council then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Malik.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Buchanan, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment by Councillor Malik   (12)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Lawrence, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Declined to vote   (8)  -  Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, McLeod, Massey and Nicoll.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.