Councillors also agreed a rent rise of 6% for homes in 2026/27, which is slightly below the Scottish average, and will result in an average weekly rent of £104.53. Rents for garages and lock ups will not change.

The council also agreed to set the weekly rent at its travellers’ site at Westhaugh to £98.56, which will rise in 2026/7 by 6% in line with the increase to house rents.

The agreed budget will allow the council to continue investing in housing stock and capital projects. Key projects for the housing service include the refurbished Westhaugh site, which is on schedule for completion later this spring.

The council has also purchased 29 ‘off the shelf’ homes on the open market, with a commitment to acquire another 11 in line with our approved Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP).

Investment in existing tenants’ homes will include roof and render works, window replacements, new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems all planned.

The council also heard that work on the eight bungalows at the Lochies Road site in Clackmannan is anticipated to start after the start of the new financial year.

Councillor Jane McTaggart, the council’s housing and property spokesperson said:  “I fully support the housing budget after another year of hard work and valuable engagement between our housing team and our tenants.

“Our collaborative approach with our tenants has delivered real progress. We will continue to build on that with further tenant involvement through the development of a participation board and the introduction of structured tenant scrutiny activities, bringing decision making closer to our tenants and encouraging active engagement.

“As a Council we continue to face challenges; increased building and service costs, coupled with year-on-year increased demand for our housing, means we must ensure that we have budget sustainability to meet our responsibilities now and into the future.

“Impressive progress has been made in refurbishing our existing housing stock, with plans to buy more off-the-shelf properties, helping us to meet the growing demand for high quality, affordable homes.

“I am particularly pleased to hear the Westhaugh site is nearing completion, giving our traveller community a redeveloped site which meets modern standards and their cultural needs.

“This will also free up a number of properties, bringing them back into use and easing the strain on our waiting lists.”