Housing repair work hit by cost of rebates

As his committee’s 2005 budget was being debated, the Housing president told States Members that an urgent review of the way subsidies were handled was urgently needed.

Deputy Le Main said that rental rebates should be handled by Employment and Social Services, and signalled that he favoured contracting private companies to manage States accommodation.

He said that his department would be able meet the costs of refurbishment from rental income and pay back a dividend to the Treasury if rebates ceased to be the committee’s responsibility.