GOVERNMENT SHOULD RETHINK FORCED INCREASE IN COUNCIL HOUSE RENT SAY YORK LIB DEMS
January 26, 2009 12:05 AM
The Liberal Democrat Council Executive is set to be asked to approve rent levels for Council Housing for 2009/10 at a meeting on the 3rd of February.
Under government guidelines, the council's housing rents are undergoing a rent restructuring process to move existing rents in York towards a government-set 'target rent', a process called convergence.
The government had originally wanted rents to reach convergence by 2012. However, this would have forced council house rent in York up by 7.7% in 2009/10.
The government have agreed to a temporary extension to the deadline, allowing for a 6% increase in rent for the year 2009/10.
Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Housing, Councillor Sue Galloway has called on the government extend the deadline for reaching the target rent levels even further.
She said "The government should recognise that many families are struggling to pay their bills as it is, these increases in rents will only make the things worse."
"An extension to the endpoint for convergence of council house rent would allow a more gradual increase and would give tenants more time to adjust their budgets."
A Liberal Democrat motion calling on the government to extend the deadline for convergence was passed at the full council meeting on January 22nd.
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