west end letters: Margaret Beckett MP | rent rises | Jane Revell Communications and marketing manager (special projects)

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 20 February 2009

Minister is urged to avoid more rent rises

Open letter to Margaret Beckett MP regarding rent increases for council tenants, on behalf of Camden, Westminster, Kingston, Southwark, Harrow, Hillingdon, Brent and Harrow Councils to highlight concern at the government’s imposed rents increase for council tenants:

• We write to highlight an area of great concern among many of our council tenants who are facing very steep rent rises because of the way the government calculates the rent formula for local authorities.
From April, council tenants across London are set to see their rent increase between 6 per cent and 9 per cent – which is at least double the rate of inflation.
This is because a formula set by the government used the Retail Prices Index figure from September 2008, when it was at its peak but since then inflation rates have plummeted.
If these rent increases do go ahead they will have a negative impact on our most vulnerable residents, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet during the recession.
Taking into account this very tough economic climate, we are urging the government to take a more reasoned approach and to keep any rent rise to an absolute minimum.
We are calling on the government to look again at the formula it uses to calculate rent to ensure a fairer system can be put in place next year.
Councils are being forced to implement rent increases as the government uses this as a basis to decide how much housing subsidy a local authority should receive. Every penny that is not raised will be taken off the money councils receive through the current funding system.
We would also welcome assistance for our tenants to mitigate the impact of this rent increase. This situation requires government action which we urge you to start immediately.
Jane Revell
Communications and marketing manager (special projects)
Communications team
Customers strategy and performance
London Borough of Camden

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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