Sir, - For the benefit of councillor Graham Lambert, who appears to have misunderstood, either by accident or design, my letter in the Letters Page (August 4), I will try to explain to him more simply, why the tenants of our social housing would in the long run pay for other proposed facilities in the borough.
The borough council would have received millions of pounds by selling our housing stock to the Housing Association. The Housing Association would need to borrow that money.
Interest would have to be paid by them on this loan. The Housing Association income would be from rents paid by their tenants. Hence the tenants would by necessity have to fund any interest.
Rents would increase therefore and for new tenants this would mean 15 per cent above current levels. Housing Association rents are invariably higher than borough council house rents.
Whereas I agree that any improvements to facilities and community buildings that could have been funded by money received from the sale of the council houses are of benefit to all, it is unfair that these should be provided from income that would invariable mean greater rent increases in the long term to our tenants. It is not true to say that I implied that the council tax payer as a whole should bear the cost of services and improvements to council houses.
County Councillor Janet Maines
Hale Place, Monkton Lane, Farnham