Tories ‘blocking councils from tackling bad landlords’ – Labour pledges new licensing powers
Labour today attacked Ministers for letting bad landlords off the hook by blocking councils from introducing local measures to improve conditions for renters, and pledged to give councils new powers to act.
The move comes ahead of the local elections on May 5th where housing is set to be an important election issue.
In 2010, Labour’s current Shadow Secretary of State for Housing John Healey, then Housing Minister, introduced a new ‘general consent’ that allowed councils to license private landlords without permission from central government.
A number of councils took up this option, including Newham, Liverpool, Croydon and Waltham Forest.
But in 2015, current Housing Minister Brandon Lewis told councils they would need to request permission from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if they wanted to introduce landlord licensing schemes covering more than 20 per cent of privately rented homes in their area.
In December 2015, Redbridge council’s application to license private landlords to tackle anti-social behaviour and rogue landlords was turned down despite overwhelming support from tenants and residents for the scheme.
Labour today announces plans to give local councils the automatic power to introduce compulsory licensing of all private landlords.
Almost a third of private rented properties are currently classed as ‘non-decent’ by government standards.
Commenting, John Healey MP said:
“It’s extraordinary that Ministers are now blocking local councils from tackling bad landlords and sub-standard rented homes.
“Private renters weren’t even mentioned in the last Tory manifesto, and when Labour tried to make all rented homes fit for human habitation by introducing protections from vermin, broken boilers and dangerous damp, Tory Ministers voted it down.
“After six years of failure on housing, with no action on poor standards and high costs for private renters, Tory Ministers have to do more to make private renting work - including for the one in four families with kids who now live in private rented accommodation.
“With the Tories in government, Labour councils up and down the country are the best hope for private renters. Labour would give councils the powers they need to tackle bad landlords and to drive up standards.”