Wolverhampton Council tenants' rents to rise by £4
Rents for council homes in Wolverhampton will rise by £4 a week – more than twice the rate of inflation – in April.
It comes on the back of a shock 9.6 per cent rise due to come into force in nearby Sandwell while Cannock Chase Council is considering increasing its rents as well.
Social housing company Bromford Housing, which owns properties across the region, is expecting to bring in a 3.1 per cent increase, which is just above inflation, as is Walsall Housing Group.
Wolverhampton Homes, which manages 23,500 properties for Wolverhampton City Council, consulted with residents on three proposed increases – five, six or seven per cent – and said the "narrow" majority had opted for the middle one. Inflation is currently 2.7 per cent.
A report from Wolverhampton Homes reveals that just 101 tenants attended a series consultation meetings and took the opportunity to express a preference.
The average rent is currently £72.39 per home per week following a 5.6 per cent rise imposed in April 2012 but will go up to around £76.72 per week.
David Poyner, chairman of the Vauxhall Residents Association and a resident of Vauxhall House flats near West Park, said: "Most people's income will not be increasing by six per cent to cover this."
