Shropshire Star

Telford & Wrekin Council's licensing plans may face legal action

Telford & Wrekin Council could face legal action if plans to introduce a new licence for housing landlords go ahead, it has been warned.

Published

More than 1,200 people have signed a petition against the proposals and a public meeting has now been called for next week.

Under the plans, private landlords in certain areas in Telford face having to buy £600 five-year licences before renting out properties in the borough.

The council says it is introducing a private licensing scheme in a bid to improve the standard of privately rented homes, bringing with it a cut in the amount of fly-tipping, crime and anti-social behaviour in certain areas.

But Bernie Lewis, a spokesman for the Wrekin Landlords Association, said the new licensing would be the final nail in the coffin for many private landlords.

A petition against the new proposals, signed by 1,245 people, has been handed to Telford & Wrekin Council.

Landlords have also called a public meeting at the Oak Tree Centre, Lightmoor, on August 1 at 7pm.

Mr Lewis said: "They have invited all the councillors and selected council officers to come along and engage with the key stakeholders in this issue as there appears to be very little appetite amongst the authority to actually address this specific issue despite the dire warnings of rent increases, landlords selling up, devaluation of homes, increases in homelessness and so on.

"You would think that with ordinary people’s lives and properties at stake the council and the councillors would be eager to learn if there was any foundation for these concerns.

"The councillors will have to leave the meeting after the first hour as the landlords will be taking pledges to fund the legal battle of a judicial review if the licensing is agreed."

Consultation is ongoing on the council’s selective licensing scheme.

It started on June 12 and ends on August 21.

Telford & Wrekin Council says only parts of Hadley, Leegomery, Malinslee, Hollinswood, Brookside, Sutton Hill and Woodside are proposed to be affected by the licensing, a total of about 2,000 addresses.

Council chiefs say it is only after the results of the consultation have been evaluated that any further decision would be made.

The next consultation events will be at Brookside Central, Brookside, on August 1 between 4pm and 7.30pm; and at Malinslee Family Centre, Old Park Primary School, Malinslee, on August 3 between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

For more information about the proposal and to complete a survey visit telford.gov.uk/selectivelicensing