RENTS for Rossendale's 5,020 council houses will go up by 1.9 per cent from April 1, councillors decided at last night's housing committee.

It is the smallest increase for a number of years.

The rent of a three-bedroom semi-detached house - currently £47.54 a week - will go up by 90p.

There will be proportionately lower increases for tenants paying less than £47.54.

Housing manager David Taylor said the Department of the Environment had told local authorities that subsidies would be provided in 1996/97 for additional rebates if the rent increase was kept down to 1.9 per cent.

Subsidies would not be provided for any increase above that figure.

Mr Taylor said it would have been helpful to have the income from a higher increase, but other councils were setting their rent increase at the capped level set by the Government.

He added: "If you do have a rent increase above the guideline level, two thirds of the additional income will be used to pay housing benefits, which is a very unsatisfactory basis to increase rents."

Labour group and council leader Coun Richard Stuart moved the increase which was agreed, subject to almost certain confirmation by the full council.

A report revealed that Rossendale council house tenants' rent arrears were £206,988, but Mr Taylor said the figure had dropped in recent weeks from £232,914 and 98.2 per cent of rents had been collected.

Coun Jean Hayler said such a collection rate was a great achievement, especially as Christmas had just passed and the weather had been terrible.

But Conservative group spokesman Coun Brian Weeds said 365 tenants out of 1,067 houses in Haslingden were in arrears.

Mr Taylor explained that tenants in difficulty with their rent should contact their neighbourhood office immediately.

The committee wrote off £44,382 of former tenants' rent arrears as bad debts.

Mr Taylor assured councillors that a record of all written-off debts was kept in the event of an opportunity for future collection.

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