Clydesdale rents hiked by £20?

The claim has been made in a message sent to them by a housing rights activist, alleging that South Lanarkshire Council is planning the extra hike in this area to bring rents up to the levels being paid by

tenants in Hamilton, East Kilbride and Rutherglen.

However, the council denies that Clydesdale tenants will face anything like the extra rises that are being claimed and says any additional rise over the rest of South Lanarkshire will be introduced gradually and as painlessly as possible.

Clydesdale tenants rights campaigner Scott Sinclair has issued a warning in leaflet form to all local authority tenants in this area, stating that they faced higher rent increases in the next few years than their fellow tenants in more urban parts of South Lanarkshire.

In it he states: "Rent harmonisation means that council tenants

living ANYWHERE in South Lanarkshire will be paying the same rent based on the size and type of home, type of heating, etc."

But a spokesperson for South Lanarkshire Council said: "Rent

harmonisation is a process which is aimed at ensuring that all council tenants pay the same rental charge for a similar house type and size regardless of which area they live in.

"It is not true to say rents in the Clydesdale area will be rising by 20 a week."

For more information on this story, pick up a copy of this week's Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.