Dudley Council tenants face £4-a-week rent rise

Rents are to rise by an average 6.7 per cent for thousands of tenants in a Black Country borough.

It is the biggest increase in almost a decade for residents living in Dudley's 24,000 council homes.

The increase ranges from £3.50 to more than £5.50 a week, with more than three quarters of residents having to find at least £4 extra a week. The move is expected to bring in £5.2million. Dudley Council will be allowed to keep only £1.4m with the rest going to the Government.

The higher charges will be imposed from April if they are given the go-ahead by the council's cabinet on Wednesday.

Council leaders say the increase was calculated using the central Government's formula based on inflation and the size and value of council properties.

But a councillor representing one of the borough's poorest areas today accused the authority of leaving the poorest residents "high and dry", claiming: "there must be a way to help".

Castle and Priory Councillor Ken Turner said: "I think these increases are disgusting. It leaves the less well-off in the borough high and dry. Some of them are going to have to find an extra £20 to £25 a month which is going to hit them hard.

"We all know times are hard but I can't imagine there isn't something the council could do to help. Council homes are supposed to be affordable, and they are becoming the opposite."

Cabinet member for housing Councillor David Simms vowed to freeze the rents next year if new rules made it possible.

"My hands are bound in this case — if it were up to me we would not be increasing rent by this much while everyone is experiencing such difficulties financially," he said.

"A new system will hopefully be introduced later this year which allows for more flexibility and places more control in the hands of local authorities.

"If that is in place by this time next year I will be looking to freeze rents."

Other planned increases include service charges at the council's 344 sheltered housing schemes, which are set to rise by 10 per cent to a new weekly charge of £9.78, and laundry tokens for residents living in high-rise flats will be increasing by 4.6 per cent to £1.90.