Plans for tenants' £52 yearly service fee dropped

Stoke-on-Trent City Council says it is not the right time to introduce the planned additional fees

Plans for a £52-per-year amenity charge on council-run housing estates have been dropped after opposition from hundreds of residents.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council had planned to impose a £1 weekly charge on 17,000 tenants to help cover the cost of services such as grass cutting and litter-picking.

More than 1,000 tenants responded to a consultation on the plans, with almost two thirds saying they were opposed to the amenity charge, with only a quarter in favour.

Council leaders said they had now decided it was "not the right time" to introduce the charge and will look at other ways of covering maintenance costs.

Tenants raised concerns over the affordability of the extra charges and service quality.

Some said they felt existing charges, like council tax, should cover the maintenance costs.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning, said the council would continue to cover the full cost of services such as grass cutting, spraying weeds, litter picking and clearing paths.

"The council is now looking at other ways to address the shortfall in revenue," he added

Cabinet members will make a formal decision on the amenity charge at their meeting on 14 January, when they are also expected to back proposals for a 2.7% rent increase.

According to a council report, the income the local authority receives from rent is not enough to meet the council's obligations to provide "adequate, decent, safe and compliant accommodation" if it must also cover the cost of maintenance services.

'Unfair'

Former Labour councillor Desiree Elliott launched a petition against the charges, signed by 143 people, in which she described the plans as "unfair" as they would result in council tenants paying for services which non-tenants would also benefit from.

She said the decision to scrap the charge was "common sense".

"I'm glad that they've changed their mind and they're going to look at other ways of paying these costs."

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams - who is also a city councillor representing the Little Chell and Stanfield ward - said he had opposed the plans, as did Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.