Social Housing Charter Performance 2022-23 Half Year Update CAH 17 01 23
Renfrewshire Council · 17 January 2023
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 17 January 2023 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 17 January 2023 __________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Communities and Housing Services ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Social Housing Charter Performance: 2022/23 Half Year Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Local authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are required to submit an Annual Return on performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter indicators to the Scottish Housing Regulator. A report on performance for 2021/22 was presented to the policy board in August 2022. This report provides Members with an update for the first six months of 2022/23. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the policy board (i) notes the 2022/23 Half Year Update Report on Scottish Social Housing Charter Performance attached as appendix 1. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Half Year Update on Scottish Social Housing Charter Performance provides information on the first two quarters of 2022/23: Section 1 provides performance information against the Charter indicators along with comparative data for the last three years, and Section 2 reports on management information for key areas of the housing service – allocations and managing tenancy change; repairs; homelessness and housing advice; rent arrears.
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3.2 Key areas of performance for the first six months of 2022/23 are: Gas servicing The number of times in the reporting year that a gas safety check was not completed within 12 months of a gas appliance being fitted or its last check (Charter Indicator 11). For the first six months there were 13 occasions where this was not completed before the anniversary date. These have now all been completed. Letting activity has returned to pre pandemic levels and although the average days to re-let remains higher than desired, it is improving. During the six month period from April 2022, there were 420 properties re-let taking an average of 64.5 days. This will remain a priority are for the service. (Charter Indicator 30). Improving re-let performance has been reflected in a reduction in the Percentage of rent due lost through properties being empty during the last year (Charter Indicator 18) from 2% in April to 1.95% at the end of September. Tenancy sustainment (Charter Indicator 16) continues to remain high with slight improvements in the number of tenancies sustained from homeless applicants from 89.4% at the end of March to 90.7% at the end of the six month period. Similar to the same time last year, there has been a slight reduction in the rent collection rate. This is a consistent pattern for the first six months of the financial year – the amount collected usually increases in the second half of the year and this should be reflected in the arrears figure at the year end. The rent collected in the first six months of the year represented 96.4% of the total rent due, compared with 98.2% in 2021/22 (Charter Indicator 26). The gross rent arrears figure has increased – up to 10.07% at the end of September from 7.99% at April 2021/22 (Charter Indicator 27). The level of arrears increase reflects the experience of similarly-sized local authorities. In order to address the increase, however, we have increased our level of advice and support to tenants in arrears. This includes directing them to money advice and energy agencies and so far, this year we have made 150 referrals for tenants to Advice works and the Energy Management Unit to assist in debt management. We have also started to target arrears at the earliest stage possible to stop any escalation of debt and this includes further development of our arrears analysis and monitoring. 3.3 In April 2022, the Council changed the IT system for repairs reporting. There have been technical issues in the implementation of the system that are currently being worked through but that are to date unresolved. As a result, we are unable to provide performance information at this time for the following indicators: Indicator 8: Average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs Indicator 9: Average length of time taken to complete non-emergency repairs
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Indicator 12: % Satisfaction with repairs service, job completions are not up to date and as such the service is unable to identify jobs to gauge satisfaction. However we are working on an interim approach using text messaging for tenant feedback for this indicator. Members can be assured that this has not impacted on the delivery of the repairs service for tenants and we are actively working with the software supplier to ensure the provision of the relevant data as a matter of priority. 3.4 Members should note that for some of the Charter indicators, data is only reported on an annual basis and will not be available until the end of the financial year. For this reason, there are some gaps in the tables in Appendix 1 of the report. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning Building strong, safe, and resilient communities – Improving and maintaining neighbourhoods and homes. Working together to improve outcomes – Increasing resident satisfaction with neighbourhoods and communities 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology – None 7. Equality & Human Rights – The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website 8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement – None
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10. Risks – None 11. Privacy Impact – None 12. COSLA Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Risk – None _________________________________________________________ Background Papers Report to the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board on 16 August 2022, ‘Scottish Social Housing Charter: Annual Return 2021/22’. The foregoing background papers will be retained within Communities, Housing and Planning Services for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. The contact officer within the service is Ray Walkinshaw, Housing Regeneration and Development Manager Communities, Housing & Planning Services, 07483 146814 ray.walkinshaw@renfrewshire.gov.uk ___________________________________________________________________
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn report 2022 – 2023 6 Monthly Update
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Contents Section 1 Outturn Report Section 2 Management Information
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SECTION 1: OUTTURN REPORT (April‐September 2022‐2023) Overall Satisfaction No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 1 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord. 88.0% 88.8% 88.8% 82.4% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey. 1. The Customer Landlord Relationship Communication No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 2 Percentage of tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions. 82.2 88.4% 88.4% 91.1% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Complaints No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 3 & 4 The percentage of all complaints responded to in full at Stage 1 N/A 99.7% 100% 95.9% 98.6% Out of 433 Stage 1 complaints received, 427 were responded to in full, in an average of 6.5 days The average time in working days for a full response at Stage 1 N/A 3.6 days 4.97 days 6.6 days 6.5 days The percentage of all complaints responded to in full at Stage 2. N/A 94.1% 100% 96.2% 100% Out of 13 Stage 2 complaints received, 13 were responded to in full, in an average of 19.2 days. The average time in working days for a full response at Stage 2. N/A 14.6 days 13.9 days 16.6 days 19.2 days
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Participation No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 5 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision‐making processes. 87.8% 93.7% 93.7% 99% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Housing quality and maintenance Housing Quality No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 6 Percentage of stock meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). 93.5% 94.5% 94.6% 57.1% Reported annually 7 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the quality of their home. 83.9% 83.9% 86.1% 79.9% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey C10 Percentage of homes meeting EESSH N/A 73.6% 78% 78.4 Reported annually Repairs, maintenance and improvements No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 8 Average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs. (hours) 5.1 5.5 6.2 7.1 No data. No data. 9 Average length of time taken to complete non‐ emergency repairs. (days) 6.9 7.8 10.7 14.6 No data. No data. 10 Percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed right first time. 88.1% 82.6% 85.1% 85% Reported annually
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11 How many times in the reporting year did you not meet your statutory obligations to complete a gas safety check within 12 months of a gas appliance being fitted or its last check? 3 17 1471 142 13 5183 services were due to be completed between April and August. Of these, 5170 services were carried out within the 12‐month anniversary date. There were 13 occasions where the gas safety check was not carried out by the anniversary date. These services have been completed subsequently. 12 Percentage of tenants who have had repairs or maintenance carried out in last 12 months satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service. 92.5% 90.8% 92.0% 95% No data. No data. 3. Neighbourhood and community Estate management, anti‐social behaviour, neighbour nuisance and tenancy disputes No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 13 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in. 83.2% 84.5% 84.5% 87% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 14 Percentage of tenancy offers refused during the year. 46.5% 40.2% 24.1% 39.6% 38.15% Between April and September, 713 offers of housing were issued, 265 of these were refused. 15 Percentage of anti‐social behaviour cases reported in the last year which were resolved. 96.0% 99.4% 99.8% 99.7% 95% 184 cases out of 194 were resolved.
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4. Access to housing and support Tenancy sustainment and tenancy turnover No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 16 Percentage of new tenancies sustained for more than a year, by source of let. Overall 902 Properties Let with 835 having sustained for more than a year. Existing tenants 94.2% 95.4% 95.5% 93.5% 93.95% Homeless applicants 82.1% 80.4% 88.4% 89.4% 90.74% Housing List applicants 90.0% 91.7% 92.8% 94.5% 93.85% Overall 88.5% 88.5% 92% 92.2% 92.57% 17 Percentage of lettable houses that became vacant in the last year. 9.7% 9.5% 6.6% 8.3% 4.04% 467 properties have become void in the first six months of 2022/23 18 Percentage of rent due lost through properties being empty during the last year. 1.4% 1.5% 1.58% 2% 1.95% Void rent loss is £490,500 of £25,123,400 rent due at the six ‐month position in 2022/23. Housing options and access to housing No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 19 Number of households currently waiting for adaptations to their home N/A 46 129 107 Reported annually 20 Total cost of adaptations completed in the year by source of funding (£) N/A £402,000 £86,152 £608,555 Reported annually 21 Average time to complete adaptations (days) 56.8 36.2 79.4 142 Reported annually 22 Percentage of the court actions initiated which resulted in eviction and the reasons for eviction. 27.4% 20% 0 0.8% 3.5% There were 88 cases in total at court; 12 decrees granted and 3 evictions Non‐payment of rent 26.7% 20% 0 0 3.5% Anti‐social behaviour 0.7% 0 0 0.8% 0 Other 0 0 0 0 0
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Homelessness No Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 24 Homelessness (LAs only) – the percentage of homeless households referred to RSLs under section 5 and through other referral routes. N/A 26.3% 32.1% 32% 27.98% Of 361* homeless households, 101 were referred to RSLs. (*This is a provisional figure, subject to Scottish Government validation.) 5. Getting good value from rents and service charges Value for money No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 25 Percentage of tenants who feel that the rent for their property represents good value for money. 75.8% 78.2% 78.2% 83.4% Reported annually The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Rents and service charges No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes 26 Rent collected as percentage of total rent due in the reporting year. 100.0% 99.5% 99% 98.2% 96.4% In the first six months of the financial year just over £24.1 million rent was collected. This mid‐year position is consistent with the trend in previous years and relates to the pattern of rent arrears throughout the year. The reported position for this indicator is expected to improve at the year‐end as in previous years 27 Gross rent arrears (all tenants) as at 31 March each year as a percentage of rent due for the reporting year. 5.8% 5.7% 6.4% 7.99% 10.07% Gross arrears have increased by over £1.1m in the last six months to £4,930,500. The level of arrears increase is the same as that of other similarly‐sized authorities. In order to address the increase, however, we have: Increased our level of advice and support to tenants in arrears. This includes
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No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Notes directing them to money advice and energy agencies and so far, this year we have made 150 referrals for tenants to Advice works and the Energy Management Unit to assist in debt management. Targetted arrears at the earliest stage possible to stop any escalation of debt and this includes further development of our arrears analysis and monitoring. 28 Average annual management fee per factored property. £90.00 £108 £0 £57.70 Reported annually 29 Percentage of factored owners satisfied with the factoring service they receive. 61.0% 60.8% 62.4% 60.4% Reported annually 30 Average length of time taken to re‐ let properties in the last year. (days) 38 45 85.7 66 64.5 Over the first 6 months of 22/23 420 re‐lets have taken place Section 6 Other Customers; Gypsies/ Travellers No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position 31 Gypsies/travellers – Average weekly rent per pitch. Currently there are no gypsy/traveller sites in Renfrewshire. 32 For those who provide sites ‐ percentage of gypsies/travellers satisfied with the landlord’s management of the site.
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SECTION 3: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION Allocations and Managing Tenancy Change Table 1 notes the number of applicants on housing list. 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Number of applicants on housing list ‐ at 30 Sept 2021 5,553 5,253 5,901 5,672 4,873 Of which, number who have their application on hold 1,118 1,016 1,034 983 813 Table 2 provides the source of housing applicant from the allocation policy. Group 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Applicants % Applicants % Applicants % Applicants % Statutory Homeless 180 3.4% 254 4.3% 215 4% 253 5.2% Mobility 420 8% 435 7.4% 479 9% 513 10.5% General Applicants (not landlord’s own tenant) 3,440 65.5% 3,859 65.4% 3,400 63.6% 2,967 60.9% Transfer Applicants (with housing need) 662 12.6% 745 12.6% 676 12.6% 619 12.7% Transfer Applicants (no housing need) 551 10.5% 608 10.3% 577 10.8% 521 10.7% Total 5,253 100% 5,901 100% 5,347 100% 4873 100% Table 3 shows lets made through and outwith the group system. 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Lets through group system 990 93.4% 1074 94.2% 500 83% 426 90.3% 399 88.3% Lets outwith group system 70 6.6% 66 5.8% 99 17% 46 9.7% 53 11.7% Total Lets 1,060 100% 1,140 100% 599 100% 472 100% 452 100%
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Table 4 shows lets to each group and the target for lets to each group. 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Targets Group Lets % Lets % Lets % Lets % % Statutory Homeless 319 33% 245 49% 368 42.9% 147 36.8% 49% Mobility 103 10.6% 74 14.8% 117 13.6% 44 11.0% 10% General Applicants (not landlords’ own tenant) 385 39.8% 128 25.6% 255 29.8% 149 37.3% 23% Transfer Applicants (with housing need) 101 10.4% 47 9.4% 93 10.9% 48 12.0% 15% Transfer Applicants (no housing need) 60 6.2% 6 1.2% 24 2.8% 11 2.8% 3% Total 968 100% 500 100% 857 100% 399 100% 100% Table 5 gives details for lets outwith the group system. 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Category Lets % Lets % Lets % Lets % Lets % Sheltered 30 42.9% 39 59.1% 25 25.2% 39 46.2% 20 37.7% Special Lets 25 35.7% 19 12.1% 25 25.2% 40 48.9% 29 54.7% Regeneration 15 21.4% 8 28.8% 49 49.5% 4 4.9% 4 7.5% Total 70 100% 66 100% 99 100% 83 100% 53 100% Table 6 shows lets by house type. House Type 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % Tenement Flat 572 54% 543 47.6% 232 39% 210 44.5% 196 43.4% Own Door Flat 173 16.3% 224 19.6% 122 20% 94 19.9% 72 15.9% Multi‐storey Flat 93 8.8% 77 6.8% 42 7% 54 11.4% 42 9.3% House 62 5.8% 113 9.9% 122 20% 48 10.2% 72 15.9% Other Flat 82 7.7% 83 7.3% 18 3% 19 4.0% 21 4.6% Maisonette 24 2.3% 37 3.2% 14 2% 16 3.4% 13 2.9% Bungalow 22 2.1% 20 1.8% 17 3% 8 1.7% 14 3.1% Amenity Flat 1 0.1% 2 0.2% 4 1% 0 0% 0 0 Prefab 1 0.1% 0 0% 0 0% 1 0.2% 0 0 Sheltered Bungalow 4 0.4% 11 1% 7 1% 4 0.8% 3 0.7% Sheltered Flat 26 2.4% 30 2.6% 20 3% 18 3.8% 19 4.2% Total 1,060 100% 1,140 100% 599 100% 472 100% 452 100% Table 7 shows Section 5 and Nomination Lets information. Table 7 Nomination & S5 Lets Council nomination lets % of overall lets to Council nominations Section 5 lets % lets to Section 5 % overall lets to Council General stock Specialist/sheltered /supported Total stock 18/19 75 17 12.2% 130 20.9% 29.4% 19/20 47 9 6.9% 142 20.9% 23.4% 20/21 19 1 3.3% 165 31.8% 30.0% 21/22 74 3 8.58% 174 24.20% 27.98% 22/23 Six Month 33 10 10.02% 80 22.31% 28.65% Section 5 = general stock only (excludes specialist housing)
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Repairs There have been technical issues with the Work Hub system, in particular the interfaces that provide the system with the relevant information to provide data for certain performance information are not fully operational. As such we are unable to provide some of the repairs information. Table 8 – Repairs % completed in target time Category of Repair 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 Six month 22/23 Emergency Completed 98.3% 98% 98.7% 97% No data Right to Repair Completed 99.9% 100% 99.5% 100% No data Urgent Completed 97.6% 94% 87% 86% No data Routine Completed 92.5% 90% 90% 87% No data Programmed Completed 98.5% 97% 98.8% 100% No data Total Repairs Completed 96% 95% 96.2% 93.6% No data Table 9 provides information on Customer Contact Centre performance in relation to housing repairs calls. This shows the volume of calls for the first six months of 2022/23 and the outcomes for calls received. Almost 33,000 calls were made to report repairs and 91% of these were answered. Table 9 ‐ Customer contact centre Indicator Number Percentage Total calls attempted 32,891 Calls answered 29,964 91% Calls abandoned 2,581 8% Calls answered within 40 second target time 17,973 % of all attempted calls answered within 40 sec target (service level) 55%
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Homelessness and Housing Advice Table 10 provides information on the number of applications that were assessed as being statutorily homeless or threatened with homelessness. Performance in terms of time taken to complete assessments continues to compare well with other Scottish Local Authorities. Table 10 Applications and Decision Making 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Number of homeless applications requiring assessment 848 874 832 909 470 Total number of service users – those who were homeless, threatened with homelessness, or requiring housing options advice. 1,956 1,941 2,084 2,256 1,151 Number of applications assessed as ‘homeless or threatened with homelessness’ (i.e. the Council had a duty to rehouse) 705 731 682 712 361 Proportion of assessments completed within 28 days 96.5% 98.6% 99.7% 100% 100% Table 11 measures satisfaction with Housing options service. Table 11 – Satisfaction 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position % pleased with the quality of advice and information they were given 97.28% 98.72% 96.3% 100% 97.3% % pleased with the overall quality of the service they received. 98.3% 99.64% 96.3% 100% 97.3% % Satisfied with temporary accommodation 92.1% 90.8% 94.7% 98.3% 96.9%
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Rent Arrears Table 12 shows that the rental due to be collected between April and September was over £25 million. At the end of September 2022, £3.264 million was owed in current tenant arrears, which excludes former tenant arrears. Table 12 ‐ Current Tenant Rent Arrears 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Annual Rental Income £45,895,000 £46,460,700 £47,627,600 £47,658,100 £25,123,400 Number of Tenants 11,294 11,305 11,121 11,036 10,992 Total Arrears Owed All £1,141,900 £1,363,500 £1,849,868 £2,334,578 £3,263,600 Table 13 shows the recovery action taken. Table 13 – Recovery Action 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position NPRP issued 1,802 1,494 4 106 475 All Cases calling at Court 1,112 885 67 22 88 Decrees Granted 127 87 0 3 12 Evictions enforced S/Officer 10 6 0 0 3 Average time first calling 9 weeks 11 weeks 11 weeks n/a 12 Average time recalled at court 4.5 weeks 11 weeks 23 weeks 4 weeks 9 weeks Table 14 provides a profile of arrears by value. Table 14 – Profile of Arrears by Value 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Under £250 £107,300 £110,900 £109,500 £110,600 £214,500 Between £250 & £500 £186,300 £183,100 £187,500 £186,500 £384,800 Between £500 & £1,000 £323,600 £359,400 £333,700 £336,800 £533,100 Over £1,000 £524,700 £710,100 £1,219,200 £1,700,600 £2,131,200 TOTALS £1,141,900 £1,363,500 £1,849,900 £2,334,500 £3,263,600 Table 15 shows the status of arrears debt. Table 15 – Status of Rent Debt 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Arrears Pre‐Court £649,700 £871,500 £1,493,900 £1,839,500 £2,868,200 Arrears Post Court £368,400 £321,300 £201,800 £241,800 £288,500 Arrears Rent Direct £123,800 £170,700 £154,200 £253,200 £106,900 TOTALS £1,141,900 £1,363,500 £1,849,900 £2,334,533 £3,263,600
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Table 16 shows the amount owed in rent by the age of tenants. There has been an increase across all age ranges. Table 16 – Profile of Arrears by Age 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Under 25 years £90,500 £153,100 £112,700 £137,600 £222,100 Between 25 & 49 years £826,600 £885,500 £1,230,100 £1,565,100 £2,131,000 Between 50 & 60 years £176,900 £222,300 £358,100 £453,200 £633,300 Over 60 £47,900 £102,600 £149,000 £178,600 £277,200 TOTALS £1,141,900 £1,363,500 £1,849,900 £2,334,500 £3,263,600 Table 17 provides summary information on benefit levels compared to previous years. Benefit uptake has increased slightly to 77% in the first six months of 2022/23. Table 17– Housing Benefit 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Six Month position Number of tenants 11,294 11,305 11,121 11,036 10,992 Tenants with benefit 7,853 8,178 8,498 8,408 8,414 Tenants without benefit 3,441 3,127 2,623 2,628 2,578 % in receipt of Housing Benefit 70% 72% 76% 76% 77%