WAVERLEY tenants have taken their fight against unfair rents all the way to the top.
A petition signed by more than 2,000 of the council's tenants has gone to 10 Downing Street, to be handed to Prime Minister Gordon Brown by a delegation of tenants and councillors, backed by two MPs.
Their protest was against the unfair 'tenant tax' which is levied on Waverley by the Government.
Under a complex formula 'subsidy' is given by the Government to council landlords, but in fact most face 'negative subsidy' – in that they have to pay the Government money.
Because the Government considers Waverley to be an affluent borough, the council is required to make one of the biggest contributions to Government coffers from tenants' rent – some £2,000 per tenant or £10.8m this year. Forty-eight per cent of Waverley rents are clawed back by the Treasury.
The result has been cuts in housing services and expenditure simply to pay the Government more money year on year.
"It's outrageous" said Pat Wright, chairman of Waverley Tenants' Panel.
"No other person or business in England is taxed at 48 pence in the pound – so why should we be? Just because house prices are relatively high, and there are wealthy people living in the borough, it doesn't mean that tenants like me are 'better off' as the Government puts it.
"We're fighting back. It's simply not fair that tenants have 48 per cent of their rent taken by central Government to redistribute to other areas. It's not a level playing field.
"We are making our view known to the Prime Minister and the Government through this petition and we intend to keep the pressure up on this issue.
"Just imagine what Waverley would be able to do to improve our homes and provide more affordable housing if we were able to keep our own money – a staggering £10.8m which we have to give to the Government this year alone!"
Haslemere MP Jeremy Hunt and Guildford MP Anne Milton, were expected to accompany the group from Waverley's Tenants' Panel, to Downing Street to deliver the petition.
Mr Hunt said: "Waverley's tenants are getting a raw deal from the Government. This system beggars belief. It's got to change. I wholeheartedly support Waverley's tenants in this campaign."
Richard Gates, Waverley's portfolio holder for
housing, commented: "The Government has announced a national review of council house finances – and not a moment too soon for Waverley's Housing Service.
"It is generally recognised that if the situation does not change, we will have to make ever more difficult decisions and service cuts to balance our Housing Revenue Account, while at the same time paying more and more to the Government.
"This system is unfair and unreasonable – it's got to be changed."