A report recently published by West Dunbartonshire Council shows that the authority has an £8m underspend on housing capital for the first three months of this financial year.

This follows a £7m underspend the previous year.

SSP Councillor Jim Bollan insists this cash should be spent on improving council houses for tenants in Clydebank and elsewhere in West Dunbartonshire.

He said: “Another year, another huge underspend. This money should be getting spent on new roofs, gutters and external cladding to properties to make them wind and watertight and to help to cut high energy bills for hard pressed council tenants.” A West Dunbartonshire Council spokeswoman responded: “This council is investing unprecedented levels in its housing to ensure our tenants have homes that are warm, safe, modern and efficient. In the coming year alone the council plans spending of £35.9m that will lead to all our homes meeting the national Scottish Housing Quality Standard and fulfilling the council’s other obligations.

“The underspend figure projected at 30 June 2014 for the 2014/15 financial year largely reflects better value being achieved in the new house build projects and improvements to core housing stock where work is being delivered at a lower cost than forecast. This underspend is likely to be taken up with new additional works as the year progresses to deliver more and better value for tenants.”