New Clause 3. — (Fair Local Authority Rents.)

Part of Orders of the Day — Housing Subsidies Bill – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 8 March 1967.

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Photo of Mr Julius Silverman Mr Julius Silverman , Birmingham Aston 12:00, 8 March 1967

Not only that, but 75 per cent. is borne by the Government. The rest is borne by all ratepayers. The charge for keeping a register, for instance, has nothing to do with existing tenants. Why should all the future development taking place, which has nothing to do with existing tenants' houses, be borne by existing tenants? In Birmingham there is £30 million capital development in the pipeline for new housing. The loan charges on that are at present borne by existing council tenants. We have to take all these things into consideration, and a number of other things, when assessing what is called an economic cost.

I can appreciate the difficulty of hon. Members in failing to define this, but if this is intended as a serious new Clause and not just as a political exercise it ought to be defined by the hon. Member for Poole. Council tenants will be voting and they are entitled to know for what they are voting, what is the sort of rent which will be imposed on them.