TENANTS in the Winchester district’s 5,000 council houses will have to find £5.57 more each week for rent.

City council cabinet members backed the 6.47 per cent rise, which left tenants group, Tact, ‘frustrated’.

The authority has to send around one third of its rent income – roughly £9m – to Westminster each year to help poorer districts.

Winchester might be able to escape the system next year, but until then, another rise above inflation is looming.

Alan Rickman, who co-chairs Tact, told the cabinet: “The frustration of Tact members is running high as once again year after year, council tenants and the council are backed into a corner, facing above inflation rent rises.”

He added: “Governments past and present have no idea what is affordable to the average person, and I am afraid never will.

“If only like Scrooge they could have the visitation from the three spirits then we might get justice.”

Mr Rickman previously took the Government to the European Courts to challenge the national rent system.

While he lost the case, shortly before the judgment, Westminster announced major reforms to the system.

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Lucille Thompson, said the council had tried to minimise the increase this year.

She said: “I know this will come at a difficult time for our tenants when the cost of living is rising and jobs are scarce.”

She added that reducing the amount of time that homes lie empty between tenants had saved the authority £120,000.

The Lib Dem cabinet gave its backing to the rent rise on Wednesday (February 9).

If approved by full council on Thursday, February 24, average weekly council rents in Winchester will rise from £86.16 to £91.73.