Shropshire Council approves rent hike
Council tenants will be hit by a near five per cent rise in rents after the increase was agreed by bosses.
Bills will go up by £184 a year on average. Shropshire Council's Cabinet yesterday approved the rent rise of 4.88 per cent, or £3.55 a week for its 4,200 homes.
The leader of the Labour group, Councillor Alan Mosley, said the move was a 'body blow' for some of the poorest people in the county.
Councillor Malcolm Price, portfolio holder for economic growth and prosperity, said: "I know it seems a lot but we are following the same policies we have followed since 2002. We'll still have some of the lowest rent levels in the county."
But Councillor Mosley said: "This is another body blow for those in social housing that might be at the lower end of the economic scale who are suffering from pay reductions or pay freezes.
"It will cause increasing hardship for those on low levels of income and those in receipt of benefits."
