TENANT TAX

That this House notes that the current Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system means that this year local authorities will lose £756 million from council tenants' rent; further notes that £195 million of this rent will be retained by the Treasury and will not be spent on social housing; recognises that this sytem of negative subsidy prevents local authorities from investing sufficiently in maintaining social housing and in building new social homes to rent; further recognises the fundamental unfairness of expecting families on low incomes in one part of the country to subsidise those on low incomes elsewhere; believes that shortfalls in funding should be made up from general taxation not tax on tenants; and calls on the Government to allow local authorities to retain tenants' rent in order to reinvest in social housing in the local area.