§ Mrs. Colquhounasked the Secretary of State for the Envronment if he will make a statement about the Government's policy towards council rent increases.
§ Mr. FreesonResponsibility for determining rents is being returned to local authorities under the Housing Rents and Subsidies Bill, which is now before Parliament, and any rent increases will, therefore, be a matter for them to decide. But the subsidy proposals in the Bill are such that, if local authorities restrain their expenditure on management and maintenance as they are asked to in Circular 171/74, they should find it possible to hold increases in both rents and rate fund contributions towards housing to a reasonable level in 1975–76.