A possible rent increase for council tenants in Swindon of one percent above inflation has not found favour with those who might have to find the extra money.

Representatives of council tenants met with the borough council's cabinet member for housing Councillor Cathy Martyn to discuss the suggestions put forward by central government.

The Ministry for Housing is thinking about allowing the council to put rents up by the rate of inflation as determined by the consumer price index (CPI) plus one per cent.

At the moment that would see rents rise by 3.4 per cent.

This follows four years when social housing rents have fallen by one per cent a year, following an announcement by the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in 2015.

But secretary of the Swindon Tenants' Campaign Group, Martin Wicks says his group is not in favour.

He said: "Tenants are asking the cabinet member for housing to oppose the above inflation rent increases.

"If you go back to the start of the century, under the New labour government, and then the coalition, there was a policy of 'rent equalisation' which was brining council rents up to the levels charged by housing associations.

"Housing associations have ben able to charge about 20 per cent more than councils so there were some very significant rent rises for several years."

Mr Wicks said that rents now were unaffordable for many people: "There are many people on the waiting list now who find council rents unaffordable. For some even the cheapest rents are too dear- these are working people, but if they're in a low-paid job, or precarious job, then rents are too high."

Mr Wicks pointed out that for people who weren't able to pay their rent, housing benefit would cover the difference and added: "If the rents go up, then that just pushes up the cost of housing benefit for the taxpayer.

"The government is suggesting above-inflation rent increases for five years and we don't think that's right."

Councillor Martyn said the council had not yet decided on whether to take up the proposal of the one per cent above inflation rent rises or to just increase rent by inflation.

She said: "No decision has been made on the rent rises. The Government’s proposal in the Housing Green Paper is to give Local Authorities flexibility on these and we will be consulting on whether it would be prudent to go for CPI or CPI plus 1per cent.

"At present, the Council is still in its four year period of rent reductions which ceases in April 2020. "

According to a council briefing paper the average social housing rent in Swindon last year was £89 per week.