Thousands of people living in public housing in Birmingham could see rents rise by 7% under plans to invest in social housing.

Birmingham City Council said the increase would be spent on improving homes and making repairs to properties.

The change could see council tenants pay an extra £30 in bills per month.

The increased rate is the maximum rent that can be increased under the new rules set by the government.

A recent council survey found that 61% of households in Birmingham currently meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard, which sets out the minimum requirements that social housing is expected to meet.

A spokesman for the local authority said he was aware that many families were struggling with the cost of living and that all tenants would receive a leaflet detailing financial support.

He added that any tenant who receives a housing benefit or universal credit would have part of the increase covered.

“As a local authority, we are very aware that much of our housing stock is over 70 years old.

“As the largest local authority social landlord (in England) with 60,000 properties, we will ensure that money is invested in making repairs and improving our portfolio,” he said.

Councilor Julien Pritchard of the Green Party said the authority should find other ways to finance the investment rather than impose the rent increase.

“The reality for many council tenants is that their properties are in very bad shape.

“Many of these people will be working low-paying jobs and won’t necessarily be able to find the money for this raise,” he said.

Councilor Ken Wood, a Conservative shadow cabinet member for housing, said authorities should commit to improving the housing stock and achieving the 99% Decent Housing Standard by 2026.

“It really upsets me to see the standards that we expect some of our tenants to accept,” he added.