Clark vetoes council's PRS licensing scheme

Communities Secretary Greg Clark this week turned down Redbridge Council’s application to bring in a borough-wide licensing scheme to tackle poor landlords and anti-social behaviour.

The minister declined the application because it did not provide evidence of significant and persistent anti-social behaviour across the borough as a whole, as required under the Housing Act 2008.

Jas Athwal, leader of Labour-led Redbridge Council, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the decision.

Redbridge’s scheme, which was consulted on last November, would have required all private landlords in the borough to pay £500 for a five-year license.

The council is now considering whether to consult on a smaller scheme.

Earlier this year, the government introduced new rules to curb large-scale licencing schemes.

From April, councils were required to gain central government approval to introduce licensing schemes affecting more than 20% of private rented properties in a local authority area, or covering more than 20% of the geographical area.

Mr Athwal said: “Without a borough-wide scheme it will be impossible for us to readily identify who is responsible for a property and deal proactively with poor standards of rented accommodation. Sadly, we will now have to go back to the drawing board and consider our options.”

A spokesperson from the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “The Government is determined to crack down on rogue landlords that let out poorly-maintained and unsafe properties.

“We have already brought in selective licensing so councils can target their activity on areas with the worst problems.”

In March, housing minister Brandon Lewis branded selective licensing schemes as “draconian” and a “tenants tax”.