Maximum rise in council rent for Doncaster tenants

2 hours ago

Harry HarrisonLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — The rise of 4.8% in council rents is the maximum allowed by the government

Local Democracy Reporting Service A street of terraced houses with bow windows on the ground floor and cars parked on both sides of the road — The rise of 4.8% in council rents is the maximum allowed by the government

The cost of renting a council house in Doncaster is to increase by more than £230 a year from April.

Rates will rise 4.8% from £91.54 to £95.93.

The increase for St Leger Homes of Doncaster tenants was agreed after a proposal from Labour Mayor Ros Jones was passed with 13 votes in favour during a meeting of full council. Every non-Labour councillor abstained.

Labour said that council rents in the city would remain "the second lowest in Yorkshire and one of the lowest in the country".

Doncaster has more than 19,000 council homes which have been managed by St Leger Homes of Doncaster since 2005.

Councillor Glyn Jones, deputy mayor, said council rents would continue to be "significantly lower" than those in the private sector.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council intends to use the increase to maintain standards for current properties and to buy and build new homes to help meet social housing demand.

The 4.8% rise, which is the maximum available under government rules, came alongside a significant capital budget for council housing, approved separately.

Local Democracy Reporting Service A bald headed man with glasses and a goatee smiles into the camera. He has on a dark suit with a pale pink shirt and darker pink tie. He stands in front of a large glass doorway. — Jones said there would be a £45m investment in upgrading council properties

"We have a budget of almost £71m over the next four years to build or acquire additional properties," Jones said.

He added that after changes to Right to Buy in 2024, which allows people to buy their local authority homes at a discount, application numbers were falling.

"The council now retains 100% of the money from any Right to Buy sales, this enables us to increase property numbers further," Jones said.

He explained there was also a £45m investment in maintaining the existing housing stock, including energy efficiency measures and new windows.

It was also announced a recently established damp and mould team will continue, helping to ensure Awaab's Law – which forces social landlords to investigate and fix mould, damp and other hazards within a strict timeframe – is adhered to.

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