Rents freeze for Hartlepool council houses after drop in interest rates

The decision was supported unanimously at an extraordinary meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council.

Hartlepool Borough Council Finance and Policy Committee had previously agreed a 1.7% rent increase in March, which would have allowed the council to add 11 new properties to its housing stock for 2020/21.

The issue had to return to Full Council before being implemented, which was delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

However since then, council chiefs noted there had been a reduction in interest rates from the Public Works Loan Board, which has now allowed them to freeze rents for council house tenants and still provide new properties this year.

Between 13 and 19 new council properties are now expected to be provided in 2020/21, with the exact number depending on Homes England grant funding, whereas previously no new council homes would have been provided if there had been a rent freeze.

Councillors praised the move to freeze the rents and still provide new properties in the borough.

Coun Christopher Akers-Belcher said: “Officers have been very pragmatic in coming forward and giving us the outcome that is best for the residents in a way that it is robust and it still gives us the delivery of the housing units that everybody wanted.”

Councillors also noted the importance of providing a rent freeze given the coronavirus pandemic.

Coun Lee Cartwright said: “With the impact of Covid-19 this is something that I believe will go down really well with the public.”

Coun Amy Prince said the new units the council will provide will enable them to ensure more properties of a higher standard are available to residents in the borough at an affordable cost.

She said: “I’m really glad the council’s able to increase the homes that we’re going to offer at a reasonable cost and at a very good standard, because some of the houses available to rent in Hartlepool are disgraceful.

“I’m really glad we can freeze rents to enable people to live affordably in a reasonable property.”

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 added the more properties they have in the HRA, the more robust it will become.

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