A RISE in council house rents of 3.3 per cent provoked bitter exchanges between councillors.

Town hall Tories were accused of being "cheap opportunists" in trying to bring down the increase, which is the maximum average hike that could be imposed.

But they retorted by saying the necessary savings could be achieved if Bury's housing department performed better.

Councillor Mike Connolly, executive member for housing, told Wednesday's (Feb 27) council meeting that the 3.3 per cent rise was the lowest since 1998.

Bury is restructuring its rents, by Government order, over ten years so that rents would be the same whether the houses were owned by the council or housing associations.

Rents would now be set according to the house's valuation, size and relative local earnings.

Coun Connolly added that Bury would invest an extra £1.8 million in its housing this year, and some £60 million in total over five years.

But Coun David Higgin, Tory leader, proposed a lesser rise of 2.5 per cent.

He said that Bury could save £344,000 to pay for this if it was more efficient, and reduced its management costs and number of empty properties to the Greater Manchester average.

"This will lessen the financial impact on our hard-pressed tenants," he said. "They should be our concern, not the blind implementation of Government diktats."

His colleague, Coun Dorothy Gunther, said the rent restructure programme was "a recipe for disaster, and may result in council properties becoming unaffordable to some tenants.

"It will cause the ultimate confusion in a housing department which is already beset with gigantic problems, and will send the rent arrears escalating further out of control."

However, Coun Connolly said an "easy fix" now would mean rent restructuring taking place over nine rather than ten years, leading to higher increases in the years to come.

And council leader John Byrne added: "When have the Tories ever been a friend to council tenants? They are cheap opportunists, wallowing in the mire at the bottom of the pit."

Residents in six sheltered housing schemes are to have their rents refunded because they have not had a warden they are entitled to.