BOROUGH housing chiefs have pledged to protect working families by freezing council house rents.

Dudley Council’s housing bosses have put forward a proposal that no increase be made on housing rents to the borough’s new Take Control Housing Board despite a national formula which has calculated the council could increase rents by up to three per cent.

The move follows Dudley’s decision to freeze council tax.

Councillor Pete Lowe, leader of Dudley Council, said: “Our council budgets have been cut drastically by around 50 per cent but as a community council we have no intention of passing that pain onto our residents.

"We will continue to look after the interests of the people we serve as we know local people have experienced difficult times.

"We have no intention to increase housing rents in the same way that we are also proposing to freeze council tax levels for everyone for another year which will keep our council tax as the lowest in the West Midlands."

Councillor Gaye Partridge, Dudley's cabinet member for housing, said: “We have now reported to the Take Control Housing Board our clear recommendation that will go before a meeting of the cabinet to keep housing rents as they are. We know this will be welcomed by thousands of hard working people across the borough.”

The proposal to freeze the rent will mean average rates will continue to be £82.54 per week over a 50-week year.

A report is now being prepared to outline the decision which will go before the council’s cabinet at a meeting on February 11.