A £60,000 scheme aimed at reducing the £1.4million in rent arrears owed by tenants in Blackburn and Darwen is set to be approved by councillors.

Blackburn with Darwen councillors are tonight due to consider hiring a welfare benefits adviser to help council tenants, and debt recovery officers to visit homes during the evenings.

In a report to the Housing and Community Services committee, which meets tonight, department head Gwyneth Sarkar said rent arrears were increasing.

In a government league of shame published last year, Blackburn with Darwen finished 68th worst out of 299 councils nationwide with uncollected debts of £1.4million. Across East Lancashire, £2.3million was owed by council tenants.

Ms Sarkar said a mechanistic approach of letters, visits, court orders and evictions was not effective in collecting unpaid rent.

As 70 per cent of the council's rental income comes from DSS housing benefit, Ms Sarkar plans to spend £35,000 employing benefits advisers who will help tenants claim cash to pay rent.

She has also proposed a £25,000 project to employ debt recovery officers to visit tenants with rent arrears in the early evening.

In her report, she said: "Other housing departments have successfully used this method and have found it to be a useful and effective way of recovering debt."

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