Seven per cent rent increase approved by Rotherham cabinet

The increase would add an average of £5.54 per week to rent bills, raising the rent to an average of £84.66 per week.

This is the maximum that rents can be increased in 2023/24 in line with the Government’s revised rent cap.

The cost of district heating, which powers 1,260 properties in Rotherham, will also rise.

The cost per unit is set to increase from 7.22p to 20.68p and would mean an average annual cost per user of £1,610 – a rise of 186 per cent.

The RMBC District Heating scheme has been significantly impacted in 2022/23 by unprecedented increases in fuel costs.

Inflation has resulted in ‘high increases in management and repair costs’, and RMBC say that the increase is “necessary to allow continued investment in housing growth”.

During yesterday’s (February 13) cabinet meeting, Cllr Chris Read, leader of the council said: “I don’t suppose any of us want to be putting up rents by seven percent, or indeed making these sizable increases in district heating bills, but the same pressures that apply to household budgets, that apply to the council general budget, also apply to the housing service.

“The cost of providing those services is rising 10, 11 per cent, the only way of me making that up is though rents.

“A cap of seven percent means a real terms cut in terms of the housing budget, and what we’re able to fund.”