Willenhall Liberal Democrats are writing to Gary Fulford, Chief Executive of Walsall Housing Group (WHG) asking that he and his Board of Directors rethink a recent decision to impose a massive inflation busting increase in rents for garages.

The move comes as following an influx of complaints from WHG garage tenants contacting Councillors Surgeries, directly, by phone, email or post. “Many of those complaining were concerned not only about the size of the increase; in some cases this has been anything up to 200% or more and the way it’s been implemented at very short notice.” Said Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Shires.

WHG are the town’s largest social landlord, and recently they reduced the council’s representation on the Board of Directors from three to one (Cllr Eddie Hughes) who is also a member of the nine strong all Conservative Cabinet currently in control of the council. “We have copied in Cllr Hughes in to the letter in the hope that he might bring his influence to bare and get the increase reduced or removed altogether” concluded Cllr Shires.