Rents for council tenants in Swindon will go down from next April.

As mandated by the government, rents will decrease by one per cent over the year, as they have for the previous three years.

It means that tenants in a one-bed flat or house will pay £71.29 per week next year, compared to £72.01, and those in a three bed home £85.03 per week compared to £85.89 this year.

A report to Swindon Borough Council's cabinet meeting next week says this will have a significant effect on the council's finances: "While this represents lower payments for tenants it is also a real and significant loss of rental income. Rent income is approximately £7m less than forecast before the rent reductions were introduced."

Rent from tenants is paid into the council's housing revenue account and must only be used for housing purposes and not other services.

The current HRA debt will stand at just over £109m on April 1, and the council will be paying £3.6m over the next year in interest payments alone.