TENANTS in the town's 16,600 council houses face a significant change to the way their rent is calculated.

With rents already set to rise by an average of £1.83 per week from October, St Helens Council is to introduce a new points scheme for setting rents which it is claimed will provide a fairer system for all in the future.

The council's Housing and Environmental Services Committee has approved the scheme following discussions with the town's Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations and a review of alternatives to meet modern requirements.

The new scheme takes into account standard factors such as age, size, number of rooms and facilities in each home, and, according to the council, "it restores rent differentials to more equal levels without over-penalising family-sized properties."

A leaflet is being sent out to tenants along with their new points calculation and rent. A right of appeal is offered should any tenant disagree with the points awarded.

The scheme will begin next month and will be phased in over 10 years. It is aimed to ensure that no tenant faces a rent adjustment in a given year of more than £1 a week, although this does not take into account the effect of any annual rent reviews which will be considered separately.

Chairman of the Housing and Environmental Services Committee, Councillor Richard Ward says: "On balance this new points system will be fairer to our council tenants. It is being introduced after lengthy examination and consultation with tenants groups."

The committee also discussed the changes in Government rent subsidies which has forced the forthcoming increase.

Added Councillor Ward: "I regret that rents have to rise to finance improvement works but the council faces no alternatives as the Government is increasingly cutting away our mainstream housing allocations. Despite our constant lobbying we have lost almost £4.2 million in housing subsidy since 1990 and £1.6 million in capital resources since 1993. However, thanks to good housing management we are able to put rent income straight back into improving the standards of people's homes."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.