The West End Development Corporation has backed down on plans to increase rents being paid by its residential tenants.

The Opposition party's by-election candidate in the area is taking credit for the decision, saying that he had been campaigning on the issue and received threats of legal action from Wedco general manager for his efforts.

“As a result of representations made to the chairman of the West End Development Corporation by its tenants, the proposed rental increase will be temporarily deferred,” the quango said in a statement.

“Wedco is aware that some of the concerns raised were storm related and wish to review the progress on the repairs before moving forward with the rental increases. It must be appreciated that we are dealing with many buildings that date back to the 1800s and that many rents are well below the market value and he is interested in both issues forthwith.”

Wedco had planned the increases to take effect April 1 and May 1. Yesterday Corin Smith, the Opposition candidate for tomorrow's Sandys North by-election said the move had everything to do with the poll.

“It's everything to do with the by-election,” he said. “It's unfair for the Premier (in a recent interview on the broadcast media) to de-politicise it by saying it is standard procedure to protect the tenants, when it's about the by-election. I am now getting blowback from (Wedco general manager) Lloyd Telford threatening to legally challenge what I've done.”

Mr. Smith had written to all the tenants - about 100 in all - saying it was unfair for the quango to be increasing rents and maintenance fees when they are not providing services in return for those payments.

“That's fair comment in terms of political campaigning, especially when people tell you that when you canvass them. Mr. Telford doesn't hear from the tenants' committee the complaints the candidate hears when he's canvassing. So as far as Mr. Telford is concerned, I guess, everything is fine with his tenants.”

But he said it was a “good thing” that Wedco had heard what people are saying. “It debunks the myth that an Opposition candidate has no influence on Government's policy or Government's decision, because there is no question that this was not an issue until it came up on the campaign trail. They expected to squash any complaints against Wedco and go on with their increase.”

Mr. Smith was not impressed with Wedco's concern about market value of the properties, noting that the ruling party had stated in its 1998 election platform that Government rents should be related to tenants' incomes. “And what Wedco has been doing flies in the face of that commitment.”

“They trying to make it look like Wedco is not getting a fair rent, my point is that moderate rents should be considered a victory. That is what Government should be doing for its low-income families,” he said.

“And what's also happening is that they are trying to create this culture where they will rotate low income families through the limited pool of available Government properties. Wedco wants to break the cycle of long-term low-rent tenancy. But I think the whole point is to create a culture of stable, quality affordable housing for low income families.”

Mr. Telford did not return calls to his office yesterday.

Late last year two families started squatting at the former Governors' mansion, The Cottage, another Wedco property, because the Corporation had failed to repair major roof damage caused by Hurricane Fabian.