COUNCIL tenants in East Lothian will see their rent rise by five per cent from next month after two years of a rent freeze.

The rent increase equates to a rise in the current average weekly rent from £72.61 to £76.24.

A meeting of East Lothian councillors this week saw the increase unanimously agreed, along with an additional five per cent rise annually for the next four years, raising it by 25 per cent over five years.

And there was a call for the rent increase to be even higher, with SNP councillor Lee-Ann Menzies warning that it would not be enough to meet the demands on the council’s current stock.

A report on the proposed rent rise said that the majority of people who responded to a tenants' survey on possible options, including continuing a rent freeze, had supported an increase, although most opted for a lower three per cent rise.

However, it said that since the consultation at the end of last year, increases in costs meant that anything less than five per cent would mean a reduction in levels of services and investment priorities would be inevitable.

READ MORE: East Lothian Council approves seven per cent council tax rise

Councillor Andy Forrest (Labour), cabinet spokesperson for housing and property maintenance, told the meeting that there were more than 2,500 people on the council’s housing list with an annual turnover of 400 homes a year.

He said: “High house prices in East Lothian are making it difficult for young people to get on the property ladder and, with the current increase in private rents, it will be soul-destroying for young people.

“While understanding the pressures on our tenants, particularly around rising energy costs and the price of food, the council is also facing significant pressures.”

He said that over the last year, the council had completed more than 150 houses for social rent, as well as upgrading nearly 700 bathrooms and kitchens.

He said: “We are striking a balance between keeping rents affordable and being able to maintain services.”

Ms Menzies said that the rent freeze for the last two years had been "perhaps unwise" given how much rent in East Lothian remained below the Scottish average.

Councillors were told that rent in East Lothian was 15 per cent below the national average charged.

And she warned that the five per cent increase, which she believed was “manageable” for tenants, would not be enough to do all the things necessary for the council’s housing stock.

She said: “We owe it to our residents to continue investing in our housing stock, we owe it to those on our homeless register to keep building far more homes to give them a settled future, and we owe it to the planet to retrofit so the energy stays in our homes in this council.

“This calls for an urgent review of rent levels, to bring them up to the necessary level and also help people who may need it to be able to pay their rent.

“This five per cent rise will not do it. Given the situation we find ourselves in, I understand the gradual approach which is being taken but it must be balanced to ensure no one is left behind without a home to call their own.”

However, Councillor Norman Hampshire (Labour), council leader, told elected members that while social rent prices in East Lothian were affordable for the people living in them, he did not believe they could afford a "huge increase".

He said that the increased rent over the next five years would fund up to £66 million in maintenance and upgrades for current housing stock, as well as £100 million towards building new affordable homes.

He said: “We can’t expect our tenants to solve the housing shortage problem, that needs to be done by central government and central taxation.

“We need more homes but they can’t all be funded by the tenants here in East Lothian.”