The Council’s plans to expand on their current landlord licensing schemes in Claremont and South Beach to parts in the central area of Blackpool (including the town centre, Talbot/Brunswick, Raikes, Revoe, and St Heliers) would mean that more than 20 per cent of private rented homes in Blackpool would be covered by a licensing scheme.
From 1 April 2015, any council wishing to license more than 20 per cent of privately rented homes in the area must first apply to DCLG for approval, yet the NLA claims that Blackpool Council was not aware of the requirement to do so.
Gavin Dick, Local Authority Policy Officer, said: “Councils no longer have the power to introduce wide ranging licensing schemes because too often such schemes are completely ineffective and demonstrate no benefit for tenants or the wider community. These schemes should be targeted at specific problems and fully resourced.
When questioned about this in a public forum the Council was not aware they had to apply to DCLG for approval, which suggests a lack of proficiency considering the Housing Minister wrote to all councils about this issue just four months ago.
If the Council is serious about tackling problems of poor property standards and anti-social behaviour (ASB) it should use the extensive existing legal powers it already has. But instead it wants to pass the buck onto landlords who have little to no power to deal with the issue short of eviction. If a tenant has been accused of ASB the landlord could be forced to evict them, whether they want to or not, or face being prohibited from letting their property at all”.
The council is formally seeking views on the proposed new scheme from 17 July until 25 September 2015.
Property Reporter contacted the council and are awaiting their response.
