Clause 45 - Designation of areas subject to additional licensing
Housing Bill
11:00 am
Mr John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
It seems to me that the Minister has made a persuasive case about licensing. I acknowledged that I was already leaning towards that because of the kind of arguments that were
powerfully made by the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East. Although landlords have concerns about how additional licensing will be applied, there are circumstances in which voluntary arrangements and schemes, such as those that work well in South Holland, are not effective. I am interested in what the Minister said about the patchy nature of those schemes, and in how much that reflects the assiduity of local authorities or is caused by local circumstances, such as those described in Bolton. Bad landlords may tend to concentrate in certain areas, and that may mean that a scheme is unlikely to succeed, even if the local authority is anxious to do its best. Our amendments were designed to probe the Minister, and a good case has been made.
The amendment that deals with tenants and landlords being consulted was not designed to exclude other people, although, as the Minister suggested, that is the practical implication. It was designed to highlight the fact that landlords must be centrally involved in the process. It is a matter of salience to a wider public: to tenants, because they are vulnerable and are likely to be the ones who suffer, and to landlords. We are anxious to ensure fairness for landlords and tenants; that is the best way to proceed with legislation. However, I accept what the Minister said and I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.
Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.
Clause 45 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Clause 46 ordered to stand part of the Bill.