"Biggest council rent increase in three years as four in 10 town halls refuse to freeze bills"

Spotted by Bob E in The Telegraph:

Council tenants are having to pay their biggest increase in rent for three years after four in 10 town halls turned their backs on Government cash to freeze bills.

Local Government secretary Eric Pickles has said town halls had a moral duty to freeze council rents for people struggling with rising household budgets. He set aside £450m over two years as part of the autumn statement package to help support the freeze.

But figures published today show that only 61 per cent of local authorities – 257 out of 421 – have are accepting cash from Whitehall to fund a rent freeze. The remainder have decided not to use the grant money, and instead of increased the rents for millions of low income tenants from the beginning of next month.