Pensioner flat rentals up

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32612, 21 May 1971, Page 10

Pensioner flat rentals up

All pensioner flat rentals charged by the Waimairi County Council would have to be raised 25c to $3.50 a week from the beginning of next year because of rising costs, the council was told last evening in a report from the finance, traffic and by-laws committee.

The committee recommended that the rent for all new tenancies of oneperson flats be raised to $3.50 a week immediately.

It also recommended that the Social Security Department be told die council would raise all rentals next January, and also that the department be told the council felt many pensioners were not in a position, to meet the increase, and that the Government should therefore give the matter of old-age pensions early attention.

The committee’s report said that the County Clerk (Mr J. Reid) had said there would be a substantial deficit in the pensioners’ fiat account this year. The chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) had told the committee meeting that he was aware of the plight of pensioners, but the responsibility was the Government’s. In view of the costs, an increase in all rents was justified, and in a way, might assist the pensioners by convincing the Government that a rise in pensions was justified. A further recommendation —put forward by Cr A. A. Adcock—that the Social Security Department be asked to meet the cost of telephones in pensioners’ flats, was lost.

Cr W. R. Holmes said this would be attacking only one part of the situation. Cr W. T. Rice said the increase to the permitted maximum rent of $3.50 would bring in only another $l5OO a year. Mr Rich said the Government must not be allowed to pass on the costs of the pensioner housing schemes. It was obvious pensions were quite inadequate, and that on the present rentals, pensioner flats were not a viable proposition.