ANGRY residents on a Bolton housing estate have slammed their landlord over "excessive" rent increases.

Tenants on the Sutton estate off Wigan Road at Deane have formed a Residents' Action Group to oppose the moves from the William Sutton Trust.

The trust is aimed at "providing good quality affordable homes for people on low incomes who are in housing need."

Last April rents increased by £4 a week on 250 of the houses and flats on the estate.

But the Rents Officer would only allow rents on the other 35 properties to be increased by an average of £2 a week.

William Sutton were not satisfied with the average £2 increase and by law were entitled to apply to the Greater Manchester and Lancashire Rent Assessment Committee.

The committee allowed the trust to increase rents on the 35 properties by a further £8 per week - a 27 per cent rise.

A spokesperson for the group said: "The trust has decided to take the full amount recommended by the panel even though they had the option of setting a lower increase had they so wished. "The rent will increase in two instalments, £4 to be paid from January and another £4 from September.

"By September rent on the 35 properties will be around £10 a week higher than last April. From January we have the ridiculous situation that a two-bedroom house will cost £1 a week more to rent than some three-bedroom houses. And in September this will increase to £5 a week more. Council rents are only rising by 3.8 per cent but ours are way above inflation. I wish pensions increased so fast. "We think the trust is trying to bring rent in line with housing associations which is wrong because they are not registered charities. If the William Sutton Trust is going to insist on such increases they should drop their status as a charity and allow us to buy our houses."

Residents have also criticised the Housing Corporation for not capping rent increases. A spokesperson for the trust responded: "The rent increases set by the Appeals Committee were on average £7.75 per week. However, the trust, as a caring landlord, operates a rent capping policy and will not increase any rent by more than £6 per week in any one year.

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