Sandwell council homes rents to rise
Rent on council homes in Sandwell will rise from April as councillors seek extra cash to fund investment in its properties.
Leaders at Sandwell Council are set to rubber-stamp the decision this afternoon which will see the average rent increase by £1.03 to £88.92 per week.
The council is also looking to bring all 29,463 of its tenants under the same 'rent formula' within three years which will mean a much bigger increase for some.
There are currently 2,488 tenants below the current rates who will face an additional rise of up to £2.60 per week.
A report to the council's cabinet ahead of this afternoon's meeting states 1,110 properties will face the maximum increase in rent, amounting to a jump of 4.5 percent.
Council Leader Darren Cooper said the authority was mindful of hitting cash-strapped families with rent rises but it could be they have no option but to bring in a rise to enable improvement plans for homes to continue.
He said: "Ideally I would have a rent freeze but I'm not sure that we would be able to afford to do that with the costs of everything at the moment despite assurances from government that things are getting better.
"We still need to continue with our investment programme in council housing stock."
The report to councillors also recommends a one percent rise in garage rents from £6.73 to £6.80 per week.
All changes would take effect from April 6 and are expected to generate a total rental income of £124 million in 2015/16.
Around £50 million is being spent by Sandwell Council to revamp 6,000 homes in the borough as part of an ongoing scheme.
Work has already been carried out on estates in Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Tipton and West Bromwich in the project.
Homes are being fitted with new kitchens and bathrooms, rewiring and heating, along with new roofing and windows. Contractors are now looking at renovating properties around Smethwick and Wednesbury.
