Tenants currently pay an average of �49.70 rent in the town and now face annual increases of 3.4%.

Blackpool Council said it was under pressure from the government to remove discrepancies between authority and housing association rents.

The authority is also looking at plans for a separate organisation to manage its housing stock.

Housing investment

The organisation would enable the council to access extra government funding to improve its housing.

Councillor Sue Wright said there was an expectation on the council to meet government targets.

"What I would like to emphasise is that Blackpool fares much better than other councils in other areas, in terms of the rent charged," she said.

"Additionally, we are constantly looking at how we can improve our housing services and get better value for money for all.

"Similarly, we are also committed to efficiency savings, improvements in repairs, and investment in our current stock."