The Scottish Housing Regulator has delivered a damning report on the ways in which homelessness and housing management issues are addressed by the council.

On a scale graded from A to D, the council was allocated a D for each of these services and awarded a D overall.

Asset management was rated much higher with the bestowal of a B grade.

The council now intends to ask for a formal review and a full report, once an improvement plan has been agreed with the regulator — this being a prerequisite for authorities given a C or D grade, "indicating a poor service with a need for improvement."

Overall

Councillor Peter Boyes said he did not think that the housing management grade given was fair.

He added: "There are housing areas we should be looking at. We should accept it and and have an improvement plan drawn up.

"But the whole inspection was not a very good one — most local authorities have not come out very well overall either."

However, he pledged: "We will get in there with the improvement plan and anything that they are suggesting needs to be improved, we will address."

Full report in Midlothian Advertiser, May 8, 2008