TENANTS in council houses will see their rents rise by an average of less than £5 per week, local authority leaders have pledged.

It comes after Scottish Government ministers reached an agreement with social landlords, such as councils and housing associations, that rent rises should remain below inflation for the next financial year.

Emergency legislation passed by Holyrood means rents are frozen until the end of March, with decisions to be made in the coming weeks over whether the freeze will continue to apply to the private rental sector after that.

Maureen Chalmers, community wellbeing spokeswoman at local government body Cosla, said: “Council leaders recognise the severe financial crisis many of our tenants and households are facing and have acted decisively to provide some assurance, despite the financial challenges councils face.

“Leaders recognise that the very high rates of inflation around the costs of heating and food disproportionately affect those on lower incomes and are acutely aware of the proportion of individuals’ income that is spent on accommodation in the rented sector and that this can vary considerably.”

Ms Chalmers pledged that council chiefs will “seek to reach agreement with tenants over any increase in rents for the year 2023/24.”

Patrick Harvie, tenants’ rights minister, added: “Our emergency legislation has given people, whether they rent in the private or social rented sector, reassurance within their current tenancies through the worst of the winter, even as their other costs have been rising.

“We recognise the enormous pressures households are facing and, by making this announcement now, we aim to give social tenants advance notice and confidence that any rent increase will be well below inflation.”