Rents set to soar

GOVERNMENT-imposed changes which could see a hike in council house rents have been described as 'plain daft by Wealden Council members.

By 2011, some council house rents could be as much as 20 per week higher than they are now, on top of inflation, a council spokesman said.

Under a national review, all council homes will have their rents fixed by Government according to a formula which is based on local house prices and salaries. The changes are part of a Government drive to bring council rents in line with Housing Association rents, which are generally higher.

Cllr Nigel Coltman, lead member for finance, said: 'This will come as a bitter blow for tenants and there will be precious little we can do about setting rents in the future. We have always fought hard to keep rents in Wealden as low as possible and in fact the lowest in the county.

'In an area where we are desperate for more affordable housing, this will make our own council housing unnecessarily expensive.

Cllr Margaret Kirkpatrick, lead member for housing, added: 'This is going to be particularly hard hitting in the rural areas and villages where house prices are already well beyond the reach of many local people.

'I think the idea is plain daft especially as the Government is trying to find affordable accommodation for key workers while at the same time pushing rents up to prices people cannot afford. I don t think the Government realises how much this will hurt local people particularly pensioners and families on low incomes.

'I am also furious that our tenants will not see the benefits of any of this extra money that we will be forced to collect on the Government s behalf as it will be redistributed to other councils in the form of subsidy.

The Government has said increases will be phased in over the next ten years and that no tenants rents should increase by more than 2 a week above any increase for inflation.

However, a Wealden spokesman claimed that, although 15 per cent of tenants could see a decrease in their rents, about 85 per cent will face an increase and 30 per cent will face an increase of more than 15 per week, over the ten years.

The council s executive has asked Cllr Coltman to write to the district s MPs to see if they can help persuade ministers to give special dispensation to Wealden.

Kevin Givan, chairman of the Wealden Tenant Involvement Group, said: 'This is another move imposed by the Government that will hurt pensioners and people on low incomes the most. It is difficult enough for the less well off to be able to afford to live in rural areas. With these rent increases it will soon be only the well off that can live in the country.