SELECTIVE LICENCING UPDATE

 Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, Sarata Sawo and I welcome the return of the scheme to Beeston Hill, the Longroyds, and its extension into Hunslet, and the benefits this will provide to a significant number of my constituents across the ward.

With such a significant number of the ward's poorest residents living in poor quality rented properties, and the huge impact this has on their health and life outcomes, this scheme is a powerful and important tool to transform the lives of many people.

Although most private landlords do absolutely the right thing, the last scheme found 80% of inspected properties were not legally compliant in some form or another.

Some of these breaches were minor and down to simply not understanding their duties as a landlord, but many of the breaches found put tenants at significant risk of harm.

Many of the tenants in those properties were already extremely vulnerable and many faced a significant power imbalance between them and their landlord when asking for repairs that were already required by law.

The scheme also uncovered a shocking number of cases of modern slavery, abuse, and criminal conduct that would have otherwise not been found had the council not had the power to inspect the properties in question, and were in most cases, not even known to the landlord.

The extension to Hunslet is significant, with around a third of former Council properties now in private hands, many now rented out, many of there properties have long gone unchecked.

This will be a significant win for the private tenants living in these areas, with many likely to see significant improvement to the safety and conditions of their homes.