New drive to tackle squalid housing in poorest areas of Blackpool

Blackpool Council is seeking to adopt tougher powers covering around 11,000 private rented properties in the poorest parts of the town.

If it gets the go ahead, a proposed selective licensing scheme would cover the eight wards of Bloomfield, Brunswick, Claremont, Talbot, Tyldesley, Warbreck, Waterloo and Victoria.

Powers, which must get government approval, and would require nearly all privately rented properties in those areas to be licensed.

Selective licensing has already been successfully used in other areas of the town and gives the council extra controls to ensure properties are well maintained, and landlords have all the necessary safety certificates including fire safety.

Almost two thirds of homes in some of the areas picked for the scheme are privately rented, and recent enforcement action found at least one in three had category one hazards which includes cold and damp rooms.

Coun Mark Smith, cabinet member for levelling up place said: “Making sure that privately rented homes are safe and well managed by landlords is a priority for the council.

“We want to improve housing conditions across the town, and ensure that everyone loves where they live.

“There is a strong link between poor housing standards and deprivation. It is vital that the council tackle this issue head on and support landlords to make the improvements in the private rental sector that are necessary.

“We recognise that many landlords provide accommodation far above and beyond the minimum standards required by law in Blackpool but unfortunately, there are many properties that fall below acceptable standards.

“We hope that this will be a positive move for responsible landlords, as ensuring more properties are up to these standards should improve the attractiveness of their property and help them to find better tenants.”

Members of the council’s executive are being recommended to approve the proposed selective licensing scheme when they meet on Monday October 16.

If approved the consultation would begin in the week commencing October 23 for 10 weeks.

Licensing fees would be set so the scheme is self-financing, with the fees reflecting the costs to the council of running the scheme