Birmingham council tenants face an inflation-busting seven per cent rent increase.
The figure, almost three times higher than the latest annual rise in the government’s cost of living index, will take the average weekly rent to £67.26.
And there are even sharper rises in store for people living in tower blocks.
They face a 32 per cent increase in the weekly service charge they pay for communal lighting.
The massive jump reflects the soaring cost of a new contract to buy electricity and gas from suppliers.
The council expects to pay £2.4 million for communal lighting in 2009/10, compared to £1.4 million this year.
Charges for concierge, cleaning and caretaking services are also going up – bringing service charges up to a total of £36 on top of weekly rents.
Concierge services at tower blocks will cost almost £20 a week and there will be an £8 charge to cover caretaking.
The Conservative-led council is blaming the Labour government. Rent rises for social housing are fixed centrally by ministers, and all of the money raised goes directly to the government.
Under a complex formula, rent rises are limited to a maximum of the increase in the Retail Price Index, plus half a per cent plus £2 per week.
A council spokesman said: “Rental policy is now set nationally by the Government. The idea is to bring local authority rents into line with rents charged by registered social landlords.”
The new charges come into force in October, but almost three-quarters of Birmingham’s 60,000 tenants will not be affected as their rent is fully covered by housing benefit.
