Tenants of Cornwall Council are set to see their rent bills increase for the coming year.

Under recommendations agreed by the council's Cabinet today social and affordable rent rates will go up by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate plus 1%.

For tenants in social rented properties the average rent will go from £69.86 to £71.79 – an increase of 2.7% or £1.93.

Affordable rent tenants will see average rents go from £116.86 to £120.02 – also 2.7% or £3.16.

Under the proposals the average rent rates for properties for 2020/21 are:

Bedsit – £53.78

1 bedroom – £63.61

2 bedrooms – £70.62

3 bedrooms – £79.51

4+ bedrooms – £86.95.

The Cabinet has also recommended that shared-ownership property rents should be increased by RPI (Retail Price Index) plus 0.5% for 2020/21. Garage rents will increase by CPI plus 1%.

Councillors heard that the council's tenants' forum had been involved in the preparation of the report and supported the proposals.

The recommendations will have to be agreed by full council and any changes will come into force in April.

Councillors also heard about the council's priorities included in its business plan which sets out a 30-year timeframe to benefit tenants.

These include ensuring that all council-owned homes are maintained and meet the Cornish Housing Standard – this standard is over and above that required by the Decent Homes Standard.

The council is also looking to improve energy performance and reduce carbon emissions in council-owned homes.

It is also looking to build or acquire 200 new homes a year for the next five years which will rise to 250 a year in the next three years.

Councillors also received updates about current performance including that evictions are "low" with 13 in 2018/19 and 10 in 2019/20 to date for rent arrears.

The report to Cabinet also gave information on Right To Buy (RTB) sales in Cornwall – there have been an average of 53 sales per year since 2014/15, an increase from 41 in 2014/15 to 48 in 2018/19. Sales peaked in 2017/18 when there were 86.

The council's business plan includes an estimate of 30 RTB sales a year from 2021/22 onwards.

The recommendations on rent increases will go to full council at the end of the month.