§ Mr. ROWSONasked the Minister of Health whether he will give the reasons why the rents of council houses at Northfield Road, Cobham, under the Esher Urban District Council, are kept so high, whilst the rents of the houses under neighbouring authorities are much lower, the difference being as much as 3s. 10d. to 4s. 10d. per week for similar types of houses; and will he try to influence the Esher Urban District Council to lower the rents of their houses?
§ Sir K. WOODIt is a matter for the local authority concerned to fix the rents to be charged for houses belonging to them, after taking into consideration the rents ordinarily payable by persons of the working classes in the locality. I understand that the Esher Urban District Council have recently had under consideration the general question of the rents charged for their houses and that, as a result, the rents of the houses in Northfield Road, Cobham, were reduced from 12s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. a week, exclusive of rates, as from the 1st April last.