Call to lower planned rise in council rent

11:00am Monday 11th February 2013 in News

COUNCIL house rents must not go up by 4.63 per cent, an opposition councillor has said.

Oxford City Council’s Green Party has urged the Labour-run authority to drop the increase, which would put an average annual rent up by £96.83. Green leader David Williams said the council was using an “old and costly” formula to calculate rents that it now has the power to drop.

The council is to set rents on September’s retail price index (RPI) rate of inflation, 2.6 per cent, plus 0.5 per cent and a further £2.

He said the authority has a “healthy” pot of rent cash – an expected £5.7m by March 31 – and rents should go up by 2.6 per cent.

But deputy leader Ed Turner said the increase is needed to help pay back £200m it borrowed to buy its 7,819 homes, meaning it no longer has to hand half its rent cash to the Government. He said there is no alternative.

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Comments (3)

12:48pm Mon 11 Feb 13

oafie says...

As a private tenant mine went up by 4.9%
As a private tenant mine went up by 4.9% oafie

1:31pm Mon 11 Feb 13

xjohnx says...

Seems reasonable once you consider the advantage of the debt reduction.

Unusually thoughtful for a labour council?
Seems reasonable once you consider the advantage of the debt reduction. Unusually thoughtful for a labour council? xjohnx

2:40pm Mon 11 Feb 13

Bart_simpsonDoh says...

What has your private rent got to do with council rents, oafie??? In fact, council rents are going up 5.1% after all the rises have been added up. The council can not jusify such a large rise when many workers have taken a pay cut or freeze ( which in effect is a pay cut) and yet put these rents up so much. As has been stated, the formula is now outdated and can be changed, but they have decided not to.
What has your private rent got to do with council rents, oafie??? In fact, council rents are going up 5.1% after all the rises have been added up. The council can not jusify such a large rise when many workers have taken a pay cut or freeze ( which in effect is a pay cut) and yet put these rents up so much. As has been stated, the formula is now outdated and can be changed, but they have decided not to. Bart_simpsonDoh

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