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RENT REFORM WILL BE A "POLL TAX ON TENANTS"
Government plans to base social housing rents on property values could mean Council tenants in Chiswick paying an extra £700 a year over the next decade Local Conservative leader Cllr. Peter Thompson has blasted government plans to reform rents saying that the result will be a disaster for low earners and key workers. The problem will be particularly acute in Chiswick where rents could rise by over £700 a year. The government has set out plans to reform rents for council and housing association tenants over the next 10 years so that all social rents are put on the same footing. The government wants both councils and housing associations to charge the same rent by linking rents to property values. This means that rents in more expensive areas like Chiswick will go up. A spokesman for Houslow Council also expressed reservations about the scheme, "We don't believe that people should be charged a much higher rent for living in Chiswick when there is insufficient supply of properties to allow tenants the option of choosing where they live." They have sought and held numerous meetings with the government on this issue in an attempt to change the policy. Ministers hope that by cutting rents in unpopular areas, tenants will be encouraged to move back to those areas, especially if they can keep some of the benefit saving by doing so. The extra money raised will not go to the local councils but directly into central government coffers. Cllr Thompson stated, “In Chiswick this will mean that rents will increase by an average £13.66 a week. I know that the Government wants to ease in these rent rises over the next 10 years. But this still means many tenants will have to find an extra hundreds of pounds a year or more for the next 10 years. There is absolutely no justification for this policy. Residents cannot be held responsible for soaring property prices in places like Chiswick." He predicted that the measures would cause more outrage than the poll tax did. Empty Homes Costing Chiswick Residents Thousands Council Tenants to Benefit from Massive Government Grant
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