Action for City Tenants

On Wednesday 17th March Conservatives on the City Council brought an emergency motion to lower the average rent increase from 6.2% to 3.1%. This move was made possible following a successful campaign by Southampton tenants and local Conservative councillors to get a fairer deal for tenants from the government. Year after year Labour having been forcing up local rents well above the rate of inflation.

In the next year the Labour government will take £4.1million out of the council tenants rents to spend elsewhere in the country. If it wasn't for the successful campaign by local tenants and Conservative councillors this figure would have been a staggering £5.8m! This is money which could be spent on home improvements for local people.

Southampton Protest Against Labour's Tax on Tenants

A delegation of Southampton tenants is today heading to Westminster to protest against Labour taxing their rent money. This year 10% of the rents paid by city tenants will be taken from the city to be spent in other parts of the country. In all £5.8m will be taken by the government, money which otherwise could have been spent on improving our council homes and estates.

Southampton's housing stock is in desparate need of improvements and the city has some of the most deprevied areas in the South East. As well as directing tenants rents away from Southampton, locally the government is forcing up the rents by an 6% this year, double the rate of inflation.

Click HERE for more information on the lobby due to take place today.

Earlier this week the Prime Minster and his Cabinet visited the city. Rather than meeting with local groups like pensioners and tenants to hear their concerns, the visit consisted merely of a series of photo shoots. The Cabinet ducked critical issues like the chronic government under funding of the city and the appropriation of council tenants' rents.