A TENANT bidding to buy his council penthouse in the David Murray John Tower faces seeing his annual maintenance charge more than trebled from £974 to £3,889.

Bob Barrett, 45, was horrified to hear the news from Swindon Council.

He hopes to buy his two-bedroomed flat at the top of Swindon's tallest building under laws allowing local authority tenants to buy their homes after certain lengths of time.

Now he has brought in local councillor John Taylor (Lab, Central), to investigate.

Swindon council officials say the issue is being investigated, but Mr Barrett wonders whether the charge increase is aimed at putting tower tenants off becoming owner-occupiers.

Mr Barrett, a service contracts manager, said: "I've applied to buy this apartment, and my current service charge as a tenant is £974 per year.

"As an owner, the council would want to charge me £3,889 and have given me no reason for this.

"I understand that a few other people here have bought already, and have been given similar massive increases."

Coun Taylor said: "I am dismayed to discover this lack of clarity in the reasons for the gulf between what is paid by mainstream tenants and owner occupiers.

"That's why council officers are investigating."

Mr Barrett added that he wouldn't be surprised if the increased charges were intended as a deterrent to would be owner-occupiers.

Mr Barrett hopes to buy his apartment for about £90,000.

The full market value is about £115,000, but Mr Barrett says this would be cancelled out by the huge maintenance charges.

As a member of the tower's residents' association, Mr Barrett is a leading campaigner for improved maintenance of the building.

The windows were recently cleaned for the first time in four years, residents claim the lifts often break down, communal areas have not been decorated for years and the smell of urine pervades the lobby because drunks use the main outside doorway as a lavatory.

Council spokeswoman Sarah Deacon said: "We categorically deny that service charges have been artificially lifted to put people off their right to buy.

"The amount is currently being investigated and the outcome will be produced in a report to be given on May 27.

"We will be contacting leaseholders as soon as this process is completed, to tell them of the outcome."

Conservative group and council leader Mike Bawden (Old Town and Lawns) and LibDem spokesman Matthew Pearce both said their parties would investigate.