Market rent plan denounced

Pressure is mounting on the Palmerston North City Council to abandon plans to introduce market rentals for new tenants to help pay for more social housing.

Nearly 120 people have made submissions about the council’s rental proposals, with a tidal wave of opinion against the move.

Most of them have described it as asking the poorest and most vulnerable to pay.

Housing advocates have organised a public meeting to ram home that message before councillors debate their proposed 10-year plan on Monday and Tuesday next week.

The council’s proposal was based on the assumption that people on low incomes who were asked to pay market rents would qualify for a government-funded accommodation supplement to cover the difference.

The council, which cannot access government money directly for social housing, would then be able to build up a fund to pay for constructing more units.

However, opponents have figured that will still leave tenants $7 to $17 a week short.

Manawatu¯ Tenants’ Union is one of those leading the campaign ‘‘to save social housing’’.

Spokesman Kevin Reilly said to take from those who had the least was wrong.

‘‘It is important to have affordable housing for those with no choice and no voice. The city council is out of touch with this.’’

His colleague, Daniel Ryland, said market rentals had increased 28 per cent in Palmerston North in a decade, while ‘‘fixed’’ incomes had gone up 20 per cent, a symptom of the widening gap between the well-off and the poor. ‘‘Housing needs to be considered a human right, not a commodity,’’ he said.

Labour electorate committee spokeswoman Amy Viles asked the council to find ‘‘a compassionate alternative for increasing housing stock without asking the most vulnerable to pay for it’’.

Luck Venue, Street Van, Mash, and Unions Manawatu¯ were other advocates for keeping council rentals low.

Housing Advice Centre spokeswoman Sally Babbage said the council was ‘‘a shining example of a really good landlord’’. ‘‘I would really encourage you to build more housing, but through other means than market rentals.’’

All Saints Anglican Church associate minister Andy Hickman said several parish members would be directly affected by the proposed increase.

‘‘Any additional tenancy costs will have a significant impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing and reduce their availability for serving in other areas in our wider community.’’

Other submitters said the Government, not local councils, should be responsible for ensuring affordable housing was available for those who needed it.

The meeting, to which tenants and councillors were being invited, will be at King’s Grace Church in King St at 5.30pm today.

‘‘The council is out of touch with this.’’ Kevin Reilly