Cheaper rents for Arun council tenants

Average weekly rents will fall from 74.34 to 72.16 as a result of the council reducing the 5.8 per cent rise it approved in January to the new lower figure of 2.7 per cent.

The decision follows an announcement by the Government in March that it wanted to see average rent increases across the country cut from 6.2 per cent to 3.1 per cent, due to the fall in inflation since the original increase was set last autumn.

As tenants in Arun have been paying above the new rate since rents were increased in April, the whole of the reduction will be spread over the remaining eight months.

New rent cards and payment documents are being issued and all housing benefit payments to council tenants has had to be recalculated to take the rent reduction into account.

Tumbling inflation

Arun housing officials estimate the extra cost to the council of making the changes has been in the region of 10,000, but the Government says it will meet only half of the money and the rest will have to come from existing budgets.

Arun councillors discussing the revised rent increases at a recent cabinet meeting were critical of the Government's handling of the situation, and particularly its decision to set rent levels when inflation was running at high levels in September, only to tumble over the following months.

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