Selective licensing proposed for ‘one of most deprived UK areas’
North East Lincolnshire Council claims it will raise standards, reduce crime and help tackle anti-social behaviour in Grimsby.
A consultation process has begun on the introduction of a selective licensing scheme in Grimsby which its council hopes will significantly improve conditions in a deprived area and, at the same time, give landlords ‘more manageable tenancies’.
Significant problems
Cllr Stewart Swinburn (pictured), Portfolio Holder for Housing, says: “The areas where the council is considering implementing this scheme have significant problems.
“East Marsh is in the top 1% of most deprived wards in the country; life expectancy is the lowest in the borough, and the crime rate is the highest in the borough. 24.6% of people live in fuel poverty.
“The area also has some of the highest concentrations of private rented accommodation, high levels of anti-social behaviour, poor property conditions, and frequent reports of nuisance noise and fly-tipping”.
He adds: “We want to tackle these issues, but before we can introduce a licensing scheme we must show why we think this kind of scheme is needed, and what kind of problems it is trying to tackle,” he said.
Many homes suffer from appalling conditions, such as severe damp, mould-infested walls, inadequate heating, and hazards that threaten tenants’ safety”.
And Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe, Chair of the Cabinet Working Party on Selective Licensing, adds: “While we acknowledge that there are many decent landlords out there providing good quality housing and support for their tenants, significant challenges persist in the private rented sector across parts of the borough, particularly in the East Marsh, Heneage, and Sidney Sussex wards, where many homes suffer from appalling conditions, such as severe damp, mould-infested walls, inadequate heating, and hazards that threaten tenants’ safety”.
She is optimistic, though, that the scheme can bring real benefits: “Successful schemes in other areas have indicated that when landlords and Councils work together on schemes, housing conditions improve, crime and anti-social behaviour reduces and landlords have more sustainable and manageable tenancies, which in turn benefits the wider neighbourhood and community”.
The consultation runs until April 27th.
