Council looks into lowering rent increase

Councillors are hoping to bring the proposed rent increase for tenants down to 3.1% in line with Government proposals.

Last week Housing Minister Margaret Beckett announced that the average guideline rent increase for 2009/10 will be halved from 6.2% to 3.1% for local authority tenants, to encourage councils to reduce the amount tenants would have to pay for the coming year.

The proposals to bring the rent increase will now be put before the Rochdale Cabinet on Thursday 19 March and a special meeting of the Council will be called so that the new agreed increase can be passed.

Councillor Doreen Brophy-Lee said: “I am delighted that the Government has listened to both our concerns and to those of many other councils across the country. Only last week I wrote a letter to the Government expressing my anger at their proposed increase of 6.2%, to which our hands were tied. To increase the rent rise by this amount would have hit the most vulnerable in our communities hard. This is certainly the right decision to have taken during these hard economic times and it shows that our lobbying really has paid off.”

Councillor Ibrar Khan is urging the council to push through the proposals. He said: "In the current economic climate, we have to limit the amount of money the council is asking people to pay for keeping a roof over their heads and keeping their families safe and secure.

"The more money we leave in the pockets of hard working families the more they can spend in the local economy.

"When I asked why the increase was so high the Lib Dems only answer was that it was government rules to close the gap with social landlords.

"Now the housing minister has changed the rules, I am asking the council to direct RBH to lower the increase."

The changes to the guideline rent increase means tenants should see a marked drop in their proposed average rent increase for the coming year from around £4 per week to approximately just under £2.

Mrs Beckett said: "We have listened to what councils and their tenants have said to us about the planned rent increases, and we are determined to help tenants get a fair and affordable deal.

"Ultimately, it is for each council to take up this offer of support, but I would expect them to ensure their tenants receive the full benefits."