Council Houses (Rents)

HC Deb 22 February 1963 vol 672 cc103-5W

Mr. Longden

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many local housing authorities are now charging economic rentals to those of their tenants who can afford to pay them; how many are still subsidising all council

Wishaw, Coatbridge, Airdrie and Shotts; what percentage of insured workers those figures represent, giving separate figures for men, women, boys and girls; and what was the duration of unemployment.

Mr. Hare

The following is the available information:

house tenants irrespective of their means; and what powers he intends to take to increase the number of the former.

Sir K. Joseph

There is no information about the number of authorities which charge fully economic rents to tenants who can afford to pay them; but well over 400 authorities are operating rent rebate or differential rent schemes. Returns made to the Institute of Municipal Treasurers and Accountants by 1,106 authorities for the year ended 31st March, 1962, showed that 416 of them were then operating such schemes, and the number has been steadily increasing.

The subsidy provisions of the Housing Act, 1961, were designed to encourage local authorities to charge higher rents, even if not fully economic ones, to tenants who can afford them, in order to increase the funds available to them to help those in greatest need.