Council house rents in Barnsley to rise by 4.8% from April
The council said the rise would increase the average weekly rent by £4.48, taking it from £93.35 to £97.83
Council house rents in Barnsley will rise by 4.8 per cent from April after the increase was approved at a full council meeting on Wednesday, February 5.
The rise applies to council house rents, service charges, non-dwelling rents such as garages, and district heating charges. The council said the increase is in line with the government’s rent policy for social housing, which allows annual increases of inflation plus one per cent.
The council said the rise would increase the average weekly rent by £4.48, taking it from £93.35 to £97.83.
A report to councillors said the increase was required to balance the Housing Revenue Account and allow the council to invest in council homes. Officers said housing budgets are under growing pressure from higher construction and repair costs, an ageing housing stock, and tighter national safety and quality regulations.
During the meeting, councillor Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for core services said the authority had to make ‘difficult decsions’ to ensure tenants could live in warm, safe and well maintained homes.
However, independent councillor Jake Lodge said he could not support a rent increase due to the number of empty homes in the borough and a delay in repairs.
“Every empty home makes it harder to justify asking existing tenants to pay more, and so we’re able to demonstrate real, sustained improvement in bringing properties back into use quickly. I don’t believe a rent rise is fair or defensible,” he told the meeting.
Cllr Lodge added that he is ‘increasingly concerned’ by the volume of reports he had received about delayed repairs taking ‘weeks or months to be completed’.
Councillor Hannah Kitching, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats called for a ‘fundamental overhaul’ of council housing in the borough, adding that the Lib Dem team had been raising issues for ‘years and years’.
Leader of the council Sir Steve Houghton agreed that the system needs a ‘revamp’, but said that the rent increase was necessary to ensure repairs could be completed.
“No one wants to see rent rises, particularly when times are difficult, but we have a responsibility to achieve a balanced HRA budget and to try and meet the needs of the housing stock,” he added.
“If we did not agree with the proposals here today, repairs would get worse. So not increasing the rent simply means the problems you’ve highlighted will continue to deteriorate.”
The report said the council must meet the standards set by the Social Housing Regulator, including new legal duties on issues such as damp, mould, fire and building safety. Without the increase, officers warned it would be harder to maintain repairs services and fund essential improvement works.
Councillors also approved a £55.2m housing investment programme for 2026/27, including £28.8m of capital spending on major works such as kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems, and £26.4m for repairs and maintenance.
An additional £2.1m was approved for building safety compliance, environmental estate improvements and floor replacement works at Princess Street.
The budget includes a £17.4m management fee for Berneslai Homes, which manages the council’s housing stock, including extra funding for neighbourhood support, anti-social behaviour work and meeting the requirements of Awaab’s Law.
The report warns that while the 2026/27 budget is balanced, savings or reprioritisation will be needed in future years to keep the council’s long-term housing plans affordable.