Rotherham council tenants face 7% rent rises

Rotherham Council said the increase was needed to build more council homes

People living in council homes in Rotherham could see rents rise 7% under the authority's annual budget plans.

The proposed increase would add an average of £5.54 a week to tenants' bills.

Rotherham Council said it would raise an extra £5.4m to build more council homes and to fund housing support services.

The new rate is the maximum that rents can be increased under the government's revised rent cap.

A report to the cabinet said that inflation had resulted in big increases in management and repair costs and a rent rise was "necessary to allow continued investment in housing growth".

The council said most tenants would receive additional housing benefit or Universal Credit that would cover some or all of the increase.

New homes 'priority'

Councillor Amy Brookes said it was "vital that the funding is available to maintain good quality homes and services for the tenants of Rotherham".

"At the moment, our housing budget is under pressure as a result of increasing costs and the impact of the government's rent cap, which means real terms cuts to the money we have available to spend on housing," she said.

"Building new council homes is a key priority for us, to ensure that more residents are able to access affordable housing which suits their and their family's needs.  

"We can't afford to let up on making more affordable homes available."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's cabinet is also expected to increase district heating charges, paid by 1,260 properties around the borough, with the unit rate increasing from 7.22p to 20.68p.

To keep the increase down to this level, the council proposes to spend nearly £2.6m from the housing revenue account.