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25
Jan 2023
Council plans 7% Harrogate social housing rent increase
North Yorkshire Council looks set to increase rents on social housing in Harrogate by 7% from April.
The authority is set to inherit 3,893 social houses when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished in under three months' time.
Senior councillors agreed to recommend the rent increase at a meeting yesterday.
It will see the average weekly rent in Harrogate increase from £85.22 to £91.18.
Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for housing on the council, told councillors that the increase was difficult to propose.
He said:
The number of social homes which North Yorkshire Council will inherit.
Cllr Myers added that the authority needed the income to balance the books of its housing revenue account.
He added that the council also had an ambition to improve its social housing stock in the future.
Cllr Myers said:
£2 million deficit
The council will inherit a mixture of houses, flats, hostels and shared ownership properties.
According to a council report, the combination of the Harrogate, Richmondshire and Selby housing stock is set to leave the authority with an in-year deficit of £2 million.
As a result, the council has agreed to increase rents by the maximum allowed by government from April 1.
Read more:
- North Yorkshire Council has reserves to ride out inflation, says senior official
- Explained: North Yorkshire Council’s plan for council tax
The proposal also includes a 2% increase on shared ownership property rents, which is in line with the lease agreements at those homes.
In his report, Gary Fielding, corporate director for strategic resources at the council, pointed out that that a third of the rent paid by social housing tenants is covered by housing benefit.
He said:
The recommendation to increase social housing rent by 7% will go to the authority’s full council for a final decision.
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