Rent rises force police from homes

Press, 6 October 1988, Page 46

Rent rises force police from homes

PA Auckland Several Auckland police families will be forced to leave State-supplied houses when a big rise in rent comes into force next month. In some cases, rentals have risen from $4O a week to $3OO a week. The individual rent review of Auckland’s 106 police houses has been completed by the Housing Corporation and the State Services Commission. It was made as part of the Government’s national reassessment, at current market rates, of Statesupplied housing. The new rates will come into effect on November 10. Inspector Ash Edwards, who is co-ordinating the assessment for the Auck- \ land police district, said he was “surprised” at the increase in some rentals. “In many cases people have been caught un-

awares,” he said. “Some police families who are heavily committed financially will have to leave police homes and find new accommodation.” “A few have already indicated they will have to follow this option,” he said. Inspector Edwards said the Housing Corporation had “taken everything into consideration” when making assessments. “It has been very difficult to break the news of the steep rent rises to some tenants,” he said. The Police Association’s industrial advocate, Mr Graham Harding, said the new rentals were “extortionate.” “We are shocked and outraged,” he said. “The Government has been determined to proceed with the market-rates scheme for the last two years.”

“If the association did not toe the line, the Government threatened to use legislation to implement the deal.” However, three other categories of police housing escaped the full force of the review. Houses “tied” to police stations, those in “hard-to-fill” areas and those used by police on transfer have kept low rents. The Police Association believes the new policy is part of the “hidden agenda” to push the controversial user-pays system of policing. However, police families enjoying the retained low rentals for “tied” housing, homes in hard-to-fill and transfer areas may be in for a shock.

The Inland Revenue Department is considering levying a benefits tax on the occupants.