Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has called for the private rental sector to be reformed after research by the ONS highlighted the continued increase in rent prices in the city.
Data from the ONS shows that the average cost to rent in Bath and North East Somerset for 2022 is £1,306 a month.
In England, the average cost is £926, and in the South West it is £898.
The average family in Bath will now be paying nearly £1,000 a year more on rent, with an annual average hitting £15,672.
The data does not go beyond March 2022, meaning it doesn’t take into account the cost-of-living crisis. Due to this, the current situation for many residents is likely to be much worse.
Since then, energy prices have spiked and the recent mini-budget caused a rapid rise in interest rates which left landlords with little choice but to pass these costs onto their tenants.
In the 2020/21 English Housing Survey, it was revealed that 25% of private renting households in England were already finding it difficult to pay rent.
The South West, alongside the North East, had the highest proportion, struggling at 31%.
Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, commented: “The Conservatives’ complete destruction and neglect of the economy has led to spiralling rent prices as landlords are forced to pass on the increased costs of mortgages and energy to tenants. It is unsustainable.
“Already in March, rent prices in Bath were 6% up and the cost of living crisis had barely set in.
“The Liberal Democrats have been saying for some time that the private rental sector is in dire need of reform and we have set forward a policy agenda that would address these problems.
“It requires a realisation that the current system is broken however and this Government just refuses to get to grips with that.
“The B&NES Council is an example the Government should be following. They have proactively stepped into the housing market and will look after their tenants, giving them a fair deal and protecting them from the cost of living crisis with fair rents.”
Councillor Tom Davies, B&NES Cabinet member for Council Housing, commented: “Boosting local affordable housing has been a priority for our Lib Dem administration and I’m proud we’ve moved into directly providing housing for the first time in 20 years.
“Residents are moving into our first homes in Newbridge this winter. We’re ambitious for this new area of activity and want to see the Council becoming a significant housing provider, helping to address market failure and providing high-quality, low-carbon, affordable homes for local people.”
