Council tenants in a Hampshire city are set to suffer another rent rise this year.

Winchester council is set to introduce an inflation plus 0.5 per cent plus £3 increase for more than half its tenants.

The council says the increases are needed to follow national policy of bringing the rents of council tenants more in line with the private sector.

It will also help protect its housing plan which includes building 300 new homes over the next ten years as well as good maintenance of existing stock.

This will be the fourth year of above-inflation increases.

Judith Steventon Baker, of the tenants’ group TACT told the Cabinet (housing) committee: “Whilst we are not impressed by the increase, no-one ever is, it could have been a lot worse.”

Richard Botham, chief housing officer, said rent arrears were going up but were still only 1.28 per cent this year.