The reduction to the rent supplements is a misguided move by the Government which will directly impact on the tenants rather than landlords.
This is the view of Independent county councillor Thomas Welby, who said the reduction will “put severe pressure on a lot of tenants as they are already struggling to make ends meet”.
He also predicted that the reductions will “drive tenants back to local authorities” but that local councils will not “be able accommodate these people” as “successive governments have severely reduced the amount of investment” in local authority housing.
According to Cllr Welby, the reductions will mean that tenants will have to approach their landlords when looking for rent reductions. The problem, states Cllr Welby, is that most landlords “are in financial difficulties through mortgage repayments and the additional charges imposed by the Government, for which they are now liable as owners of the properties”.
