The average time to rehouse a council house applicant in East Ayrshire increased for the third year in a row in 2020.

On average, applicants had to wait 1.2 years for a new house, increasing from 1.1 in 2019, 1.0 in 2018 and 0.9 in 2017.

A freedom of information request submitted by the Chronicle revealed that the longest wait was for a four bedroom house, with an average wait of 2.1 years. Information for five bedroom properties was not provided.

Speaking about the figures, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley MSP Elena Whitham said: “Across East Ayrshire, the council continues to rehouse people on average faster than most other authorities which is a remarkable achievement in these times with pressures on staffing and building supplies among many created by the pandemic.

“Across Scotland, the Government has delivered nearly 67,000 houses for rent backed by investment of £3.5 billion, including here in East Ayrshire and that work continues with plans to build in Drongan, Mauchline and Cumnock to add to existing stock which is being refurbished with energy efficiency measures such as cladding.”