Travellers at Wentworth warned of 29 per cent hike in weekly rents by East Cambs Council - those at Earith face 13.5 per cent rise

Travellers living on a site owned by East Cambridgeshire District Council face a 29 per cent increase in their weekly rent.

The rent review is being recommended by Angela Parmenter, housing and community safety manager, in a report to the council’s regulatory and support services committee.

Ms Parmenter wants approval to bring the rent paid by nine families at Wentworth to rise from £66 a week to £85 a week from April.

For the 11 families on the council owned site at Earith the rent rise proposed is 13.5 per cent to raise it from £75 a week to £85.

“The housing department has undertaken a benchmarking exercise with other traveller sites in the sub region and have found that the council’s rents are one of the lowest,” says Ms Parmenter.

“Two other authorities currently have their rents under review. Therefore it is prudent to review these rents to bring them into line with other sites across the sub region.”

Ms Parmenter says the rent increases will generate an extra £15,652 a year and the total raised would be £107,496.

“The additional income will allow the council to invest in improvements at both the Earith and Wentworth sites,” she says.

The council has already committed £110,000-£120,000 to replace the sewage treatment works at Wentworth.