Agenda item

(i)              Joint Report of the Director of Transformation and Partnerships and the Corporate Director of Regeneration and Local Services.

(ii)            Presentation by Strategic Manager for Housing, Regeneration and Local Services.

The Chair welcomed the Strategic Manager for Housing, Lynn Hall and the Project Coordinator, Joanne Thompson who were in attendance to provide the Committee with an update in relation to Selective Licensing (for copy see file of minutes).

The Strategic Manager for Housing thanked the Chair and Committee for the opportunity to once again speak in relation to Selective Licensing and noted that the associated Cabinet report had slipped back to November 2019.  She reminded Members of the definition of Selective Licensing: “Selective Licensing is where the whole or part(s) of a county/borough are subject to a designation under the Housing Act 2004.  The designation makes it compulsory for all private rented accommodation in that area to get a Licence from the Local Authority”.

It was explained that in October 2018 Cabinet had agreed to authorised consultation on proposals to introduce Selective Licensing across the county, and for a business case for Selective Licensing across the County to be prepared.  The Strategic Manager for Housing reminded Members of the criteria for designating a Selective Licensing area, an area having to suffer from one or more of: low housing demand; anti-social behaviour; poor property conditions; high levels of migration; a high level of deprivation; and high levels of crime.  It was added that, other than migration, there was a lot of data linked to the other criteria and therefore the focus would be on those five.  She noted that should a designation cover more that 20 percent of its geographical area or more that 20 percent of the private rented stock, an application to the Secretary of State was required.

The Strategic Manager for Housing noted that a great deal of work had been undertaken in terms of gathering data from teams within the Council, as well as from partners such as Durham Constabulary and the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.  She explained that in looking at tenure information, around half of the data had been obtained, with that data highlighting 23 percent of housing stock being private rented.  It was noted additional work had been undertaken in terms of the fees that would apply and also consultation on what licencing conditions would be included.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted those three elements would be consulted upon following Cabinet in November.

The Committee were informed that other interim work had included: a focus group of landlords; landlord data collection; landlord accreditation; tenant training; and tenant support.  Members were referred to a map highlighting possible designation areas with the Strategic Manager for Housing noting data so far broken down by middle layer super output area (MSOA).

The Strategic Manager for Housing explained that the next steps were for: a report to Cabinet in November; consultation to follow from December 2019 through to February 2020, looking at the three elements as previously mentioned; submission to the Secretary of State; and then implementation to follow.  She added that other Local Authorities that had submitted to the Secretary of State had a response in around 12 weeks from submission.

The Strategic Manager for Housing concluded by noting she was working with the relevant Portfolio Holders, a potential snap general election had the potential to delay the process, and the Committee would be consulted as part of the process.

The Chair noted that a special meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 25 November 2019 for a further update.  He thanked the Strategic Manager for Housing and asked Members of the Committee for their comments and questions.

Councillor P Howell noted for the minutes he was a private sector landlord.  He asked as regards what the mix of landlords was in terms of those being consulted with, the Focus Group mentioned, were they landlords with one or two properties or several hundred.  He also asked as regards the licensing approach and fees, reiterating his experiences previously explained at Committee, and also asked if the colours on the maps shown referred to priority areas or otherwise.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted the colouration on the map was simply for clarity, not a reference to priority.  The Project Coordinator explained that in terms of landlords, the Landlords’ Forum was approached and from 20-30 landlords, nine volunteered to sit on the Focus Group with those having a range in terms of portfolio size, a number of agents for larger landlords as well as those with only a handful of properties.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted in terms of fees the level had not yet been determined and reminded the Committee that the fee would only be used to fund the administration of the Selective Licensing scheme.

Councillor E Adam asked as regards fees, with reference to the free landlord accreditation as set out in the interim work.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted the accreditation would be free for one year for those in the three former selective licensing areas: Dean Bank, Ferryhill; Chilton West; and Wembley, Easington Colliery.  Councillor E Adam asked how comprehensive the data was and noted that it appeared there was some areas within Aycliffe West that appeared to have been omitted from the list.  The Strategic Manager for Housing explained that the data was by MSOA and not Electoral Division and therefore there could be some overlap in terms of areas.  The Project Manager noted she could look at the specific issue and report back with further information.

Councillor S Dunn asked as regards the white areas on the map that were not included at this stage and whether this would preclude them from being included at a later date.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted that if the relevant data was received at a later date and this evidenced one or more of the criteria mentioned then they could be included, however, that would involve going back to the Secretary of State.  Councillor S Dunn expressed his concern that there would not be 100 percent coverage of the County, however, noted it was good that it did not preclude additions should additional information come to light.

Councillor M Davinson asked how long the designation would last for before data would need to be refreshed and updated.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted the designation lasted for five years and that the data collection was ongoing, adding that around year three or four the business case would be looked at in preparation for resubmission.

Councillor R Crute noted the date for consultation being 19 December and asked what communications had been made in terms of the consultation so that Members could alert people via their ward surgeries or via Area Action Partnerships (AAPs) meetings.  The Project Manager explained a communications plan had been produced and would be finalised shortly.  She added this included AAPs, Town and Parish Councils and the Landlords’ Forum.  Councillor R Crute asked if the Committee would have sight of the engagement plan at their special meeting in November as Members may be able to provide useful feedback in terms of potential gaps.  The Strategic Manager for Housing noted it could be circulated as soon as it had been signed off.

Resolved:  

(i)      That the report and presentation be noted.

(ii)      That the Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee continue to receive progress updates in the development of the Selective Licensing Scheme.

(iii)     That the Economy and Enterprise Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as agreed in its Work Programme 2019/20 holds a Special Meeting providing an opportunity for all Overview and Scrutiny Members to comment on the proposed scheme.