Council 'cannot afford' to keep estates tidy

About 18,000 council tenants in Stoke-on-Trent could see their bills increase by £52 per year to help cover the cost of maintenance such as grass cutting and litter picking on their estates.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council had previously paid for these services using money it received from rent, but said budget pressures meant this was no longer viable.

The new charge would be in addition to rent and council tax. If approved, it would come into force from April and be reviewed each year.

Two of the city’s MPs have written to the authority to express opposition to the plans.

They said residents were still struggling with the cost of living crisis and that it seemed unfair that the services paid for by the new charge would benefit everybody while only council house tenants had to pay for them.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams, who is also a city councillor representing the Little Chell and Stanfield ward, said many former council houses were now in private ownership after being purchased through the right-to-buy scheme.

“The proposed amenity charge would only impact those who rent their homes from the council, although everyone who lives on the estates would benefit from the service,” he said.

“Too many families in our city are already struggling to afford the basics, and I fear that this proposal would particularly impact those in most need of help,” he added.

The Stoke-on-Trent South MP Allison Gardner said many were concerned that the proposed £1 per week fee may rise “well beyond that sum” in the future.

The local authority’s cabinet member for housing, councillor Chris Robinson, said the council could no longer afford the cost of grass cutting, spraying weeds, picking litter and clearing paths – and that it needed to recover some of the cost of providing those services.

“Our tenants matter to us and we are trying our best to minimise the impact of these changes by limiting this proposed charge to £1 per week,” he said.

“This won’t cover the full cost of these services which means the council would still be covering the shortfall.

“We are conscious of the impact this additional charge would have on our tenants and we are not putting this proposal forward lightly.”

Implementing the new fee meant the council could continue to invest in its housing stock, he said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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