Southampton pensioners face '80 per cent' fee hike at Walton Court

One woman "almost had a heart attack" when she found the increase in her bills which she said will cause an "extreme" stretch to her finances.

Seven pensioners living in Walton Court, Archers Road, have been told they must pay an extra £100 a week at the retirement complex operated by Sovereign Housing in Southampton.

Many of them will pay twice as much starting in April, from £475 a month to £850 - which covers rent, electricity and service charges.

There are 22 apartments at the complex in total.

Couple David and Joy Hacking (Image: Newsquest)

Couple David and Joy Hacking, former pub managers, were in shock when they found out how much they would be paying from April.

Joy, 77, said: “It was an absolute shock, it almost gave me a heart attack, because now you still have all of your other things to pay out for.

"It’s put us under extreme pressure because you're thinking about it all day and when you go to bed, you're still thinking about it.

After a life of hard work, the pair just want to enjoy their retirement, however, they’re now worrying about how they’ll be able to afford their rent.

Joy added: “It's a lot of money and we can't go out to work. We worked all our lives. We used to run pubs, we used to do 18 hours a day.

“We really worked hard, and we paid everything into the establishment, and now we get almost a 100 per cent increase and you think to yourself how do they expect elderly people to pay this out of their pocket.”

Hazel Bonner, 80 (Image: Newsquest)

Hazel Bonner, another Walton Court resident, said her only hope is that the association will review its decision.

The 80-year-old gets a weekly pension of £317 and is currently paying housing charges of £125.56 a week, which includes rent, heating and service charges.

However, from April it will then surge to £213.97, an increase of 70 per cent, which will leave her with just under £100 to pay for all her other expenses.

She said: “Well, it affects everything, because even if you get a benefit, that's going to be nominal, and then you still got to find this other money.

“And unless you've got any savings, you're never going to cover [the increase], so how can that be possible?

“I’m just hoping they'll change their mind.”

In response, a spokesperson for Sovereign said the group had seen a "considerable" rise in costs over the last few months due to "inflationary pressure".

And, that the increase in service charges is universal and "reflects the unprecedented rise in its own utility costs".

Sovereign says that while it understands customers will be struggling with the cost of living crisis, it must balance the income it receives against the need to invest in its homes and services.

The spokesperson added the association has launched a support fund to provide support for its most vulnerable patients as well as a dedicated webpage to help them.

The spokesperson added: "We would encourage any customer who is struggling with the cost-of-living crisis or who wishes to discuss their bill to contact us directly.

"We are keeping our support under review, and if we can offer more, we will."