Norwich City Council has cut all political contact with tenant activists Acorn after a dispute over landlord licensing after the group’s treatment of its councillors spiralled out of control.

The authority is in the midst of a consultation process for a new selective licensing scheme. Acorn, however, wants the scheme introduced immediately. Branch organiser Toby Sedgewick said, “We know that every day Mike Stonard (Council Leader – main picture) and this Labour administration fail to tackle rogue landlords.

“They are failing the 27% of our city who privately rent. Despite their attempts to silence us, we won’t stop fighting for renters in our city.”

Legal impossibility

The council rejects the claim and says Acorn’s demand cannot legally be met mid-process because a licensing scheme must go through evidence gathering, statutory consultation and formal approval before it can be introduced.

It also adds that the activist group had “doubled down and escalated their campaign regardless”, warning that what it is asking for would “fundamentally undermine any potential licensing scheme” by leaving it open to legal challenge from landlords.

Acorn has also now accused senior councillors of “smirking” and being “visibly hostile” at meetings, but an investigation rejected those claims after it found no evidence to support them.

We are not going to engage with people who advocate harassment and intimidating women.”

Councillor Beth Jones has been especially heavily “targeted”, with masked members surrounding her at meetings, shouting her down, and bombarding her with up to 150 phone calls a day, forcing her to install additional security at her home.

The council says that the row has now reached a point where future dialogue is impossible. According to Cllr Carli Harper, “We are talking about the leadership which has chosen to employ tactics that are deplorable. We are not going to engage with people who advocate harassment and intimidating women.”

Acorn denies harassment.