Row over increase in rents for Blackpool council tenants

The Labour group rubber-stamped a 1.5 per cent rise from April affecting nearly 5,000 properties across the town, at a meeting of the full council.

The Conservative group opposed the rise, with Coun Don Clapham warning: “Tenants in our properties are already the poorest in society.

“Covid may have made their lives harder with job losses and falls in income. It is cruel to inflict a rent rise on the weakest group living in our housing stock.”

The increase means tenants face having to pay between around £1 and £1.39 extra a week and will raise £260,000 for Blackpool Coastal Housing which manages the homes on behalf of the council.

Coun Gerard Walsh said this amounted to up to £72 a year and it was wrong “to penalise some of the most vulnerable people in the town to the tune of £260,000.”

But Coun Neal Brookes, cabinet member for housing, dismissed the Conservatives’ claims as ‘absolute nonsense’.

He said: “Our rents are the sixth lowest in the country, they are the lowest in the North West and every one of those vulnerable people will have housing benefit which covers their entire rent.

“This rent rise will still protect the vulnerable in our community, but will provide opportunity to drive forward the council house investment programme which will provide homes for people on the coast at rents well below private rents.”

It is the second year rents have been increased following four years of rent reductions.

In 2020/21 the average rent charged in Blackpool was £69.25 for general rent properties and £92.91 for affordable rent properties.

The increase of 1.5 per cent, which includes half a per cent to cover inflation, had previously been agreed by the executive before going to full council for final approval.

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