Council housing rent review sought

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 465, 8 December 1992, Page 1

Council housing rent review sought

Ruapehu's pensioner flats rentals policy should be reviewed, believes new councillor Bob Peck, and the Waimarino Community Board agrees. Mr Peck moved that a review of the council' s pensioner housing rental policy be initiated immediately. In seconding the motion, Winston Oliver said Mr Peck would need to do a lot of homework to win his battle in Taumarunui. "My view is that while the council has come through its first term with a good fiscal performance, it has not taken time to look at the social welfare aspect of its responsibilities," said Mr Peck. He said the philosophy behind the council' s user-pays policy, which will see rentals come close to market rentals, was flawed. "The idea that low rental pensioner housing is unfair to those who own their own homes is nonsense. The people in the flats have paid their way, they have given their time." Board member John Compton said public meetings had been called

when the policy was being considered and tenants chose not to object to the rental increases (the next increase step takes effect in January 1993). "The very people who are hurting (from the policy) cannot express themselves. It places a very heavy burden upon us, we are the ones who have to express their views." The board discussed whether individual wards should be able to rate to subsidise pensioner housing. "Some communities may want subsidised housing, some may not," said Mr Oliver. "The problem seems to be the view that everything in the district has got to be uniform." "If this ward was prepared to bear the cost in rates, why shouldn't they," said Mr Peck. Some felt Raetihi and Ohakune pensioner flats should have cheaper rents than T aumarunui because more council amenities were available to people. "I'm not asking for a world-shaking revolution. I just want us to take another look at it."