Some State tenants pay $3 a week

Press, 6 March 1984, Page 23

Some State tenants pay $3 a week

PA Wellington Some public servants in Wellington are paying as little $3 a week for departmental houses.

The average rent paid for the 19,360 houses owned by Government departments throughout New Zealand is only Jl5 a week. The rent figures were revealed on Friday by the State Services Commission’s assistant commissioner of industrial relations, Mr D. Swallow. The low level helps explain why the Government is determined to raise rents to open-market rates.

Capital tied up in the houses is more than JBOO million.

The biggest propertyowner among the departments is the Ministry of Works and Development (6000), then the Railways Corporation (4000), Education Department (3800), Ministry of Defence (3300), the Forest Service (1300), and the Police Department (960).

Mr Swallow said that for some of the houses, for example, many of those

owned by the Forest Service in forests and at forest headquarters, the openmarket rental would be a matter for debate. The Government has ordered the sale of up to 10,060 “surplus” houses and other properties. It is believed the Government would take 80 per cent of cash from the sales, with the remainder credited to the department against the cost of future projects. A report on how many houses could be considered surplus will be presented to the Cabinet committee of State services within two months.

The Government also plans to extend its drive for cash to the Parliament Buildings car-parks. There are more than 200 parks reserved for staff working at Parliament.

In the past these parks have been free but the State Services Commission is recommending that staff be charged $570 a year for underground parks and up to $l9O a year for ground parks.