COUNCIL rents are set to rise as part of a scheme to make councils and housing association charges fairer.

The central proposal is that rents charged by housing associations and councils should be set on a common basis, and not vary from area to area and between companies.

The average rent increase for Runnymede is expected to be £2.16 per week, with increases becoming slower and lower throughout the next ten years.

"People are anxious that this will mean huge rent increases," said Housing Minister Sally Keeble. "However, the government aim is not to have an impact on individual tenants.

"We want people to have more of a choice in housing, especially as rents are now really a luck of the draw situation. We are aiming to even out the rates of housing association and council housing.

"Rent restructuring will not lead to a huge increase in financial burden and rent prices won't increase as much as they have in the past 10 years."

Dudley Everett, housing and community services manager for Runnymede Council, said: "We believe the equalisation of rates between council's and housing associations is a logical step because there is quite a gap between council rent and housing association rent and that gap needs to be closed.

"However it is early days yet, and although we welcome the initiative in principle it remains to be seen how it will work."

The proposals will have little impact for Spelthorne residents because all the area's housing has been sold.