Council housing rents in Worksop and Bassetlaw set for below inflation increase in April

At a Cabinet meeting on January 3, councillors approved a recommendation for a below inflation rent increase of 7 per cent for 6,368 council homes in the district from April 2023.

The rent increase comes against a backdrop of a 10 per cent rise in the cost of maintenance, labour and materials experienced by the council over the last 12 months and predicted rises of up to 15 per cent for the next year.

With benefits also set to rise in line with inflation (10.1 per cent) including housing benefit, the rent increase should only affect around 30 per cent of council tenants who do not receive additional support.

In real terms, the lowest change in rent will be an increase of £3.56 per week for a small property and the highest an increase of £8.02 per week for a large property. This will mean that the average rent for social general needs housing in Bassetlaw will be £83.40 per week or £361.40 per month.

In comparison the average monthly private rent in Worksop is £707, whilst Retford is £704, according to figures from Home.co.uk.

The changes will take effect from Monday April 3, 2023, and have been set in accordance with the Government’s National Social Rent Policy.

All rent collected by Bassetlaw Council is reinvested back into its Housing Service and funds Decent Homes improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, energy-efficient heating systems and maintaining internal and external communal areas.

This is in addition to routine repairs to its homes and essential safety measures such as gas and electrical servicing.

Councillor Steve Scotthorne, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “While the rent increase is higher than we would have liked, the council is not insulated from inflation and the spiralling costs of maintaining and investing in our tenants’ homes.

“The council has absorbed cost increases over recent months but with some predictions suggesting that costs could rise by up to 15 per cent in the next 12 months, the council has acted now to ensure more drastic measures aren’t required in the future.

“The nationwide increase in mortgage, private rent and social rent costs reflects a lack of investment in housing in this country over successive years. This is a crisis largely of the Government’s own making, made worse by the disastrous consequences of the mini budget.

“Tenants can be assured that their rents continue to represent good value for money compared to the private sector, and that we will continue to invest in their homes. We will also continue to provide important support services to tenants such as our Money Advisor service which helps with debt management, provides information and advice, and ensures that tenants are receiving all of the support that they are entitled to.”

Tenants with any queries regarding rents or who are experiencing difficulties paying their rent can telephone the council’s customer services team on 0800 590542.