Cough up council tenants

I was incensed to read that tenants of local authority houses, or councillors on their behalf, are objecting to a rent increase of maybe €100 per annum. It is to cover, or partly cover, the local authority’s Local Property Tax (LPT) liability.

The rent that these tenants pay is heavily subsidised and is nowhere near market rent. I don’t see why, in these circumstances, that the tenants can’t make a contribution towards the council’s LPT. The council is likely to have a liability of either €225 or €315 per house based on valuations of between €100,000 to €150,000 or €150,000 to €200,000. An important point to remember is that council tenants have security of tenure.

Hugh Owens