Council leaders have backed an 'essential' 4.5 per cent rent hike for 17,000 tenants in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is proposing the rent increase in 2027/28 in line with government guidance.

This states that council housing rents should rise no more than the inflation rate in September (3.5 per cent) plus 1 per cent.

Properties charged below 'formula rent' will also see an additional £1 per week increase in line with national rent convergence.

If the increases are approved at full council next month, council tenants in Stoke-on-Trent will pay an average rent of £93.62 per week from April.

Cabinet members voted to support the rent increase at their meeting this week, saying it would allow the council to continue investing in its housing stock.

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for housing, said: "It is essential we follow the government's formula to ensure delivery of the HRA 30-year business plan and take this opportunity to invest in our existing homes and properties, so that all tenants have a home that is safe, decent and well-maintained."

Cllr Walker added that the council still offers 'some of the cheapest rents' compared to the national average and other authorities in the West Midlands.

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The latest available figures from 2024/25 show that the city council charged the third lowest rents among similar local authority providers in England.

Stoke-on-Trent's average rent was nearly £10 a week less than the West Midlands average, and £21 a week less than the England average.

Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, added: "It's important to recognise that every pound of rent goes back into our homes, back into our estates, making them better.

"Dealing with issues such as damp and mould, getting them up to EPC standard C so they're cheaper to heat, and building new homes that are lost through right-to-buy.

"The alternative to this report is making cuts to services and improvements."

The council is also set to extend the financial independent fund in 2027/28, at a level of £30,000.

The fund allows discretionary payments to be made to tenants who are struggling to pay for essentials such as white goods.