Rent increases delayed for Hartlepool council tenants amid coronavirus crisis

Hartlepool Borough Council Finance and Policy in March recommended the 1.7% rent increase out of three options, with the others being a 2.7% increase or a rent freeze.

Council chiefs at the time said the 1.7% rent increase would allow the council to add 11 new properties to its housing stock for 2020/21.

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The proposals were due to go before a Full Council meeting at the end of March for a final decision, with a view to bringing in the changes from May, however the meeting was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Hartlepool Borough Council has now confirmed a decision is currently on hold as the Finance and Policy Committee recommendations need to go to Full Council, and the next meeting isn’t scheduled yet due to Covid-19.

Currently Hartlepool Borough Council owns and manages 300 properties after investing in social housing and reopening its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) in 2016.

Council officers previously noted even with the increase they would have some of the lowest rents on the market, after the government previously forced the council to reduce its rents by 1% each year over the past four years.

They added if councillors had voted to increase rent by 2.7% a total of 18 new properties would have been planned for the coming year, and if they had voted for a rent freeze, no new properties would have been provided.

It was also previously stated the government would provide additional funding to meet the rent increase for approximately two thirds of tenants.

Council leader Coun Shane Moore said at the last Finance and Policy Committee meeting growing the HRA and council housing stock was important for the borough.

Speaking at the meeting, he said: “There is a high level of family poverty going on for those who are unfortunate to live in private accommodation that is overpriced.

“It is driving down the disposable income for these families.

“Often it’s in properties that aren’t particularly fit for purpose, but there aren’t sufficient properties for them to be able to move and get out of those houses, and what we’re trying to do here is address that.

“For me I think it’s important that we try and build our HRA as much as possible so that we can provide good quality homes for as many families as possible and potentially ease their current financial burden.”

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