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Council set to reduce tenants' rent rise
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Council tenants across the Wokingham Borough are set to receive welcome news about this year’s rent increase.
Wokingham Borough Council’s special council executive is set to agree to reduce the proposed 6.35 per cent rent rise to an average of 3.2 per cent when they meet later this month on Friday June 26.
Council leader Cllr David Lee said: “I very much hope that the special council executive gives the rent rise cut the green light. Everyone needs every penny they’ve got at the moment in order to survive the recession, and tenants are no exception. I’m delighted that the reduction in the proposed rent rise looks set to happen to help tenants through the current economic downturn. If it does, we will inform tenants of their new rents as soon as we can.
“We will also continue to lobby central government on the so-called ‘tenant tax’ which sees the council having to pay almost half of the housing rent collected from tenants over to the government – some 41 pence in every £1. This negative subsidy has in the past meant that the council has had to make savings in the tenants’ budget by reducing services.
“This is money that could be better spent on basic
maintenance to our tenants’ homes.”
