Sutton's Tenants Being Punished by Government

10.58.04am GMT Thu 17th Jan 2008

After the Sutton delegation visit last week to lobby the Government Minister responsible for local Government finance on behalf of Sutton's tenants, Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington has kept the pressure up on Government Ministers to try to stop them punishing Sutton's tenants.

In questions to the Housing Minister Yvette Cooper MP on Tuesday, he asked the Minister whether she planned to change the way the Housing Revenue Account works. It is the HRA which takes a third of the rent Sutton's tenants pay away from Sutton, depriving the Borough of millions of pounds that is desperately needed to improve Sutton's council housing.

Commenting after the exchange with the Minister for Housing, Tom Brake MP said, "The Minister failed to give Sutton's tenants any reassurance whatsoever. She will be taking no immediate action to stop Sutton tenants being forced to hand over one third of their rent to subsidise tenants in other parts of the country. This is totally unacceptable."

The following day, Tom Brake tried unsuccessfully to raise the same concerns with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown during Prime Minister's Questions.