Two Stoke-on-Trent MP's have expressed opposition to the proposed amenity charge.

Over the weekend, 18,000 council house tenants were contacted over proposals to introduce a £1-a-week amenity charge.

The new charge would be in addition to the current rent and council tax and partly cover the cost of maintenance, including grass cutting and litter picking. If approved it would come into force from April and would be subject to an annual price review.

Now Allison Gardner and David Williams have written to Councillor Chris Robinson, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning in opposition to the charge. They highlight the residents are still struggling with the cost of living crisis and how the charge would benefit everybody despite only council house tenants having to pay.

Stoke North MP, who is also a councillor for Little Chell and Stanfield said: "As you know, many former Council houses are now in private ownership after being purchased through the right-to-buy scheme. A great number of them are also owned by landlords who then let these properties out.

Arounf 18,000 tenants in Stoke-on-Trent could pay an extra £52 a year (Nub News).

"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. Further to this, I do not believe it is right to charge our tenants an additional £52 per year at a time when so many are struggling with the lasting impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

"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."

While Stoke South MP, Dr Allison Gardner writes: "I understand how vital it is to maintain standards and service levels across estates – residents rightly expect it. However, I am concerned about the way in which the proposed costs will be applied to those living in Council houses – but not those living in privately rented homes, or those purchased through the right-to-buy scheme.

"This charge would, in effect, mean that only Council tenants pay more for a service which every resident benefits from. A rise of £52 a year will leave many families worried about their finances.

"Added to this many residents are concerned that what is currently proposed to be £1 a week, may rise to well beyond that sum in the future – as the consultation letter states the fee will be reviewed."

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing, said: "The proposed amenity charge would enable us to continue providing important services such as grass cutting, spraying weeds, picking litter, and clearing paths on housing estates whilst still investing the maximum we can into existing properties. The council has previously covered the full cost of these services directly out of the rent. But long-term budget pressures, facing all councils, mean we simply can no longer afford this. That's why we are proposing to recover a proportion of the cost from residents through an amenity charge, as other councils do.

"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. 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. But recovering some of the costs means we could continue to ensure everybody can live in safe, clean neighbourhoods, and that vital investment can be made into the housing stock."

------------

READ MORE: Stoke-on-Trent man jailed after two firearms found in company car

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stoke Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter email HERE - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.

Please consider following Stoke Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.