Salford Council is to raise the rents for council homes by 6.6% from April 2011. This will see average rents rise by £3.91 a week, or £15.64 per month. Service charges will also rise by 5.1%. The increase has been slammed by Riverside Island Tenants Association in Lower Broughton…
"It's disgusting, outrageous and we're appalled. People working on low wages just won't be able to afford a council property – what are they going to do?"
Salford Council states that the rises are to "comply with Government guidelines as set out in the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2011-2012". Which we're sure will be of great comfort to those struggling to make ends meet before these rises.
The Council has also approved a budget for Salix Homes that sees more being spent on management fees than housing repairs. From 1st April the Council will be paying Salix £12.385million for `Housing Management and Regeneration', while the repairs allocation is £11.655million.
The Salford Star reported recently that by 2012, 60% of all council homes will be classed as `not decent' (see here)