A CHRISTMAS card that put the spotlight on Ellesmere Port and Neston’s council housing helped to reduce rent arrears.
The issue was raised at a Cheshire West and Chester Council meeting by Cllr Myles Hogg (Con, Ledsham and Willaston).
Referring to the card, he asked community portfolio holder Cllr Lynn Riley (Con, Weaver): “What impact did it make and what is the position this year?”
Cllr Riley pointed out the card, which offered a £250 prize draw for anyone with a clear rent account, ‘also had a salient message about rent arrears’.
She said one effect ‘is that we did have an additional rent payment increase of about £7,000 compared to the previous year’. Another was ‘a new dialogue and a new involvement with all our tenants’.
The card, to which Cllr Lynn Clare (Lab, Central and Westminster) objected, had been discussed with tenant representatives and it had been agreed the draw should again be offered in 2010 to those with clear accounts, although it should be publicised earlier. This would enable more tenants to take advantage.
The draw had been publicised in the quarterly rent statements in November and in Ellesmere Port Market.
Cllr Riley claimed the housing management service ‘has made significant improvements over the last 12 months in its rent collection and debt prevention activities’.
The aim had been to try to drive down rent arrears and to take early action to help those who found themselves in financial difficulties.
Arrangements introduced by the council included referring tenants and advising prospective tenants of a new money advice team.
The housing benefit liaison officers were part of the team and the credit union was actively promoted in the rent hall.
“I think that as a result of these very positive initiatives the incidence of evictions has dramatically reduced,” added Cllr Riley. “Back in 2008/09, before this council arrived, we unfortunately evicted 17 tenants for rent arrears. Last year that fell to three and I think this year we are down to one.”
