GLASGOW City Council is to increase its rent for temporary accommodation and charges for hostels but still faces a shortfall.

The hike will take the weekly rent for a hostel to £316 and £139 for a temporary furnished flat.

The council runs six homeless hostels across the city and has around 1400 temporary flats.

Because of cuts to housing benefit the council will have a half a million pounds shortfall between the cost of providing the service and the cash it take in from housing benefit.

The cost of providing the 1451 temporary flats is £10.5m meaning the council breaks even by charging £139.19 per week for rent.

But a cap on the housing benefit subsidy at £88 per week for two of the hostels leased by the council means it costs the council to offer accommodation in them.

The council said the hostel charge is set by adding the costs of the accommodation and a number of other services like cleaning and support staff for residents.

The council operates a women’s hostel the Chara Centre in Possilpark as well as men’s hostels at Clyde Place, Portman Street in Kinning Park and Rodney Street, Port Dundas all of which it owns.

It also leases hostels at Elder Street in Govan and the James McLean centre in Springburn.

Last year the council was criticised by the Scottish Housing Regulator for people spending too long in temporary accommodation.

The Evening Times reported last year how people were spending 138 days in flats before they were moved on to a permanent home which was three weeks longer than previous years.

It also said the council was not meeting a duty in providing temporary accommodation to everyone in the city who was entitled to it.

Last year there was an increase of 82 families in temporary accommodation in Glasgow.

The council has looked to increase the pool of temporary accommodation flats it sources from social landlords and the private rented sector to meet the level of need across the city.

In a report to councillors asking them to agree the increase David Williams chief officer of the Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “The rent charge reflects the costs directly associated with the provision of the accommodation.

“Homelessness Services accommodate clients in temporary furnished accommodation until suitable permanent accommodation becomes available.”