Plans for licensing scheme on 154 Stoke-on-Trent streets could be delayed

Councillors have called for controversial landlord licensing plans to be delayed – to allow a Government review to be completed.

Cabinet members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council are due to approve the proposals to roll out selective licensing to 14 new areas next Tuesday.

But members of the cross-party adults and neighbourhoods scrutiny committee want the cabinet to postpone the decision until after the Government publishes a report on selective licensing in the spring.

Committee members say the review could potentially impact on Stoke-on-Trent’s scheme, although council leaders believe it could ‘a long wait’ before the ‘practical outcome’ is known.

The committee also called for a task and finish group to examine selective licensing – including suggestions that ‘good’ landlords could be exempted from the scheme.

Under the council’s proposals, around 3,000 privately rented homes in 154 streets will need a £500, five-year licence, which will only be granted if certain minimum standards are met. Renting out an unlicensed property in the areas will be a criminal offence.

Members of the scutiny committee questioned whether it was right to ask good landlords to pay for the policing of bad landlords.

Committee chairwoman Joan Bell said: “The aim of this project is to target rogue landlords, but some of our landlords are excellent and they’re still going to be impacted by this, and unfortunately they’re going to pass on the costs to their tenants.”

Labour committee member Mohammed Pervez said: “The issue I have with selective licensing is that, in effect, it’s penalising good landlords by charging them to tackle the problems created by rogue landlords. We need to bring good landlords on side, not drive them out of the city.

“It’s important that the council uses its existing enforcement powers.”

Randy Conteh, cabinet member for housing, told the committee that a great deal of work had been carried out to build up the case for selective licensing.

He said: “This is a 1,200 page report, with 97 pages in terms of the consultation, so you can see how much hard work has gone into this.

“Selective licensing is about improving property conditions and improving management processes. It’s about improving the lives of vulnerable tenants in the private sector. We want to ensure all our residents, wherever they live, are living in properties that at least meet minimum standards.

“Selective licensing won’t solve every single issue. But it will be one tool that we can use.”

Mr Conteh explained that the council had taken on-board concerns about good landlords being penalised, which is why members of the North Staffordshire Landlords Association will be offered a discount on their licence fee.

But some committee members suggested that the council could go even further.

Conservative councillor Dave Evans said: “This is about tackling poor landlords, but it does still effect good landlords. So rather than give good landlords a discount, why not just make it so they don’t need to be licensed?”

Committee members also questioned the way streets had been selected for the scheme.

Consultants carried out an in-depth analysis of five ‘focus areas’ with high levels of private rented housing, which revealed higher levels of fuel poverty and homes in disrepair.

But many of the homes proposed for the selective licensing scheme were not included in this study. Instead, the 154 streets were selected through a ‘desktop exercise’ using Experian credit-checking data.

City Independent councillor Jean Bowers said: “According to this, most of the residents in my ward are vulnerable, which doesn’t seem right to me. I don’t think we should be so negative.”

David Lovegrove, a landlord from Telford, attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent landlords opposed to the scheme.

Mr Lovegrove said: “Landlords through the consultation overwhelmingly supported the authority in trying to ensure that properties are safe and fit for purpose, but this should be through the many enforcement powers given to you, especially in the last couple of years, which you care not to use.

“We share many aims and encounter similar problems, if you would simply engage we could try and address these issues togther.”

If cabinet members approve the selective licensing scheme the council will apply to the Secretary of State for final confirmation.