CWaC - Increased Housing Management Service Budget

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee will discuss the proposed Housing Management Service budget and proposed rent increases for tenants of Council owned properties at a meeting on Monday 2nd February.

Cabinet will then consider approving the proposals on Wednesday 11th February for recommendation to a meeting of full Council.

The Council recognises the proposed increase will be difficult for tenants. However, it is critical to being able to meet the needs of Council tenants by continuing to invest in their homes and neighbourhoods to ensure that they are decent, safe and warm.

Council tenants’ rents are ring-fenced to pay for all services, repairs, maintenance and improvements to Council homes. It is particularly key to support investment in ensuring homes meet the Decent Homes Standard and improving the energy performance of the housing stock thereby reducing energy costs for tenants, helping to address fuel poverty and meet targets for reducing carbon emissions.

The increase will also ensure that there is sufficient funding to meet increased landlord responsibilities as part of the Building Safety Act 2022, Fire Safety Regulations 2022 and the Social Housing (Regulations) Act 2023, and to fund investment in properties to continue to address incidences of damp and mould and meet the requirements set out in Awaab`s Law. Awaab's Law became effective from October 2025 and mandates all social landlords in England to address housing hazards like damp and mould within strict timeframes to ensure tenant safety.

To meet these requirements, rent on Council owned properties is proposed to increase by 4.8% from April 2026. This is in line with the Government guidelines of an annual increase equal to Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) plus 1%. This means that the average weekly rent of the Council’s social housing will increase from £102.84 per week to £107.78 per week. The average weekly rent of the Council’s affordable housing (charged at up to 80% of market rent) will increase from £129.39 per week to £135.60 per week. Tenants will be contacted about their rent by letter. Support from Cheshire West and Chester Council and ForHousing is available to help and support tenants financially. The Council can help with advice on benefits, assistance with council tax, household support funds, free school meals, assistance with fuel and water, and more.

Rent on garages and the cost of Lifeline personal emergency alarm services is also proposed to increase by 4.8% from April 2026. The average cost of rent on garages will increase from £7.36 to £7.71 per week. The cost of Lifeline personal emergency alarm services for Council tenants will increase from £3.01 to £3.15 per week, and from £3.91 to £4.10 for private residents.

There will also be an increase to the landlord’s management charge for leaseholders of 0.94% reflecting increased costs to the Council due to inflation. There will also be an increase in shared ownership lease rents of 4.3%.

The Government proposed in January 2026 to bring back rent convergence, which could increase rents by an additional £1 or £2 a week. This is to deal with historical variations in social rents across the country and to provide consistency. The reintroduction of convergence will allow the Council to increase rents up to permitted levels to achieve a fairer system and to increase income to invest in new and existing homes.

The Council owns 5,253 homes in the borough, predominantly in the areas of Ellesmere Port, Neston and Winsford. From 1 April 2026, these homes will no longer be managed and maintained by ForHousing on behalf of the Council and will instead be managed by the Council directly. All tenants are being contacted prior to this date about the arrangements for the new service.

Since 2017, a total of £41 million has been spent on improving Council housing. In the past three years, the Council has progressed the regeneration scheme at the Sutton Way estate in Ellesmere Port which is set for completion end of March 2026 and completed all Neighbourhood Improvement works in Stanney and Wolverham which has involved major improvement works to the garage sites and boundary works to the estate.

The Council has maintained investment in the housing stock throughout 2025-26 by delivering an investment programme of around £9 million installing new replacement roofs, new kitchens, and bathrooms, fitting new full and partial central heating systems and boilers, upgrading UPVC windows and doors with double glazed units. A contractor has been appointed to carry out condition surveys on all homes, with all properties aimed to have been surveyed by summer 2026.

Cllr Christine Warner, Cabinet Member for Homes and Planning, said:

“From 1 April 2026, the management of Council Housing will return to the Council, and we are determined to make this a success and provide the best outcomes for our tenants and leaseholders. The Council is committed to ensuring sufficient budget is available for the annual repairs and maintenance of Council houses in the Borough.

“We know that the cost of living is already difficult for lots of people, but a rent increase is necessary to help meet the increased costs facing social housing across the country. Maintaining and improving the homes and neighbourhoods of tenants is critical. We have a duty to ensure they have good quality and affordable homes which achieve the Decent Homes Standard, reducing fuel costs through retrofit energy works and improving the neighbourhoods in which they live, is vital to peoples’ wellbeing.”

To find out more about the commitments Cheshire West and Chester Council make to residents, visit the Council website to view the Together with Tenants Charter:

Together with Tenants Charter | Cheshire West and Chester Council

Support from Cheshire West and Chester Council and ForHousing is available to help and support tenants financially. The Council can help with advice on benefits, assistance with council tax, household support funds, free school meals, assistance with fuel and water, and more.

Visit the Council website for more information:

Benefits and welfare help | Cheshire West and Chester Council

ForHousing can offer support including budgeting skills, debt advice, support applying for benefits and saving on utility bills, applying for basic bank accounts, and wellbeing support.

For more information visit:

How Can We Help - Cheshire West and Chester (forhousing.co.uk)