Agenda item

Report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Regeneration and Housing which provided details of the proposed introduction of a selective licensing scheme and two additional houses in multiple occupation licensing schemes in designated areas of the borough; and the business case to support the introduction of the schemes.

Decision Made: That

(1)       approval in principle be given to the Business Case for the introduction of a selective licensing scheme in the Bootle area and 2 additional houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing schemes in central Southport and areas of Waterloo / Seaforth.

(2)       approval be given to a 12 week public consultation on the proposals for the implementation of the schemes

(3)       the Head of Regeneration and Housing be granted delegated authority in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Communities and Housing, to:

(i)            procure and appoint consultants to undertake the required public consultation on the 3 proposed schemes, and

(ii)          agree any minor/technical changes to the Business Case in advance of the formal consultations.

(4)       approval in principal be given to the draft licencing conditions.

Reasons for Decision:

To enable the introduction of a selective licensing scheme and 2 additional licensing schemes within the Borough; to allow the procurement and appointment of consultants to carry out a public consultation and to approve in principle the draft licence conditions.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Do nothing

Sefton could continue solely with the current enforcement regime, linked with more aggressive promotion of Accreditation. This option is unlikely to have significant impact due to Accreditation being a voluntary scheme, with only the better landlords usually obtaining accreditation status.

Expand the Current Enforcement Regime

The Council currently had a reactive enforcement approach in relation to privately rented properties, dealing with cases as they present themselves. A more proactive approach would be taken to target the worst landlords. This would develop an outward facing image of enforcement in relation to rogue landlords.

To practically do this would involve the need to increase the resourcing allocated to the Housing Standards Team by a minimum of 3 additional posts. This cost Would be up to £135,711 per annum.

This was a more traditional enforcement approach and less of an enabling one than licensing would bring.

Introduce a borough wide Selective Licensing Scheme

Officers also considered introducing a district-wide scheme but this was not taken forward because the evidence was not yet sufficient to introduce the whole district and therefore such an application was unlikely to be supported by the Secretary of State (who had to agree to the implementation of such a scheme). A consideration when determining an area for selective licensing was a requirement set out in the Government Guidance, which stated thatany area considered for selective licensing must have a high proportion of property in the private rented sector, which is more than the national average. Nationally the private rented sector currently makes up 19.6% of the total housing stock in England. The proportion for the borough of Sefton is 13% (2011 census). Therefore a borough wide scheme would fail this test.