A HIKE in council house rents is a step closer to being approved.

Carmarthenshire Council's executive board recommended a 5.3 per cent increase, which is equivalent to another £3.39 per week on the current average rent of £63.50.

Council chief executive Mark James told council bosses they had little choice over the increase as the Welsh Government set guideline levels on how much the rents should increase and would penalise the authority financially if it failed to follow them.

The government would also ask whether the business plan for improving council houses was sustainable, as it did last year when rents were increased by 3.5 per cent rather than the 7.5 per cent recommended.

Mr James said the system as it stands was sustainable, but it also saw the council returning more than £6 million a year back to central government.

He said this was changing in England and he hoped that would happen in Wales too, adding: "We would be quite happy with running our own ship."

Council leader Meryl Gravell said: "It's important that our business plan keeps up otherwise we would have to talk to some of our residents about what we keep on."

The deputy council leader and Labour group leader, Kevin Madge, said the authority's business plan was designed to help it pay for upgrading homes, including making energy saving improvements that had "saved some of our tenants a considerable amount of money".

He added: "I know these things have made a difference to our tenants already.

"They can take pride in their properties."

Independent group leader Pam Palmer said despite spending money on improving council houses, Carmarthenshire had the third lowest rent of any authority in Wales.

The executive board also recommended garage rents increase from £6.21 a week to £7 a week, plus changes to the service and heating charges.

The recommendations now need to go before full council for approval.