08 November 2002
New figures from the Audit Commission show that, in March 2002, Welsh local authorities were owed £25m.
Housing associations faced arrears of £9m – equivalent to a third of the sum they spent on housing management in 2001/02, according to Rent arrears and housing benefit in the Welsh social rented sector, presented to the Welsh Assembly on October 30. The total arrears are worth £151 for every social housing tenant in Wales.
'We need to see urgent reform of an outdated and overly bureaucratic system,' said Andrew Wood, lead manager for the Audit Commission in Wales.
But Wood urged councils and housing associations to avoid 'knee-jerk reactions' which appear to be leading to increased court actions. The number of court orders for recovery of social rented properties in Wales rose from 600 to 1,800 between 1996 and 2001.
PFnov2002
