Mar

Council shelves licensing scheme consultation following landlord opposition

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West Lindsey Council in Lincolnshire has shelved a consultation into its selective licensing scheme amid opposition from landlords and business groups.

Councillors have now voted to halt an online public survey after the authority admitted that the process had its limitations and also questioned the previous scheme’s impact.

Future options will be discussed at a committee meeting on 3rd May.

The Lincolnshire council’s previous scheme in the South West Gainsborough ward ended in July 2021 which its report says reduced anti-social behaviour by 83%, as well as leading to 249 properties being improved and more than 98% of them obtaining a licence.

The new plans, covering Gainsborough South West, Gainsborough North, Hemswell, Market Rasen and Wold View, would affect 5,000 properties, and was planned to launch next year.

It now admits: “The selective licensing scheme can improve the quality of accommodation however, it has had limited success in many other areas such as anti-social behaviour, community safety and crime levels.

It is therefore essential before we extend the selective licensing scheme we gain a far better understanding of how many of these other issues can be addressed.”

Landlords such as Hugh Darlington have criticised the plan as “incredibly punitive”. He told Lincolnshire Live:

“It will place considerable financial and administrative burden on landlords which will invariably be passed onto tenants in rent increases. As a smaller landlord I am inclined to see this as the final straw and might be forced to sell, meaning my tenants could be left homeless.”

The County Land and Business Association has also opposed the plans, as it believes the approach risks punishing those responsible landlords who are already compliant.

Rural surveyor Alison Provis adds: “Ultimately, it could result in many unintended consequences such as unnecessary rent increases for tenants and loss of properties from the rental market, meaning rural communities and their prosperity will suffer.”

Read the consultation documents.

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