Council listen to RLA as Newcastle licensing scheme scaled back
14 Jun 2019 03:45 PM
Plans to introduce a large licensing scheme in parts of Newcastle have been scaled back after the Council listened to the concerns raised by the RLA.
Newcastle City Council initially planned on introducing a large licensing scheme that would impact over 18,000 properties.
The Council now say that these plans have been scaled back, to impact 5,500 fewer properties after taking into consideration concerns that were raised in the consultation process.
A final decision on the plans is due to be made on the plans at a Council cabinet meeting on 17th June.
What the Council is proposing
The proposed scheme would be a combination of both selective licensing and additional licensing.
A consultation was launched on the plans last year, which the RLA responded to. In our response, which you can read here, the RLA raised several concerns with the scheme, including that it is likely that good landlords will apply for the licence, while criminal landlords will simply ignore the scheme.
According to the Council, of those who responded to the licensing consultation, 85 % of landlords and agents believed licensing would not improve areas and 76% disapproved of the schemes.
Now, Newcastle City Council has announced that it is intending to scale back the proposed scheme, with 5,500 fewer properties. Instead the scheme would concentrate on houses of multiple occupation and houses in five areas where problems are greatest to get maximum benefit.C
The plans are due to be presented to the council’s cabinet on Monday. The RLA will update members on the outcome of this.