Agenda item

5.1

It was moved by Councillor Lewis Dagnall, and seconded by Councillor Sophie Wilson, that this Council:-

(a)      welcomes the increasing public debate about private rented housing and notes the following regarding the growth of the private rented sector:-

(i)       nationally the sector has grown significantly since the 1980s whilst the social rented sector has shrunk;

(ii)      ‘generation rent’ is all too real: in the UK, 46% of people aged 25-34 and 29% of people aged 35-44 now rent privately, compared to 20% of the population as a whole, and a quarter of families with children now find their homes in the private rented sector;

(iii)      austerity and the cost of living have made life harder for many private renters and have helped create a “rent trap” for many;

(iv)     Sheffield’s private rented sector has doubled in size during the past decade to over 38,000 households, about 16% of all Sheffield’s housing, and is further predicted to grow to reach 25% of all housing in 2025; and

(v)      Sheffield’s private rented housing is diverse – ranging from purpose-built flats to former council housing sold under ‘Right to Buy’; from student Houses of Multiple Occupation to families in terraced housing – with strong concentrations in some neighbourhoods;

(b)      believes these changes in the housing market have produced the following challenges:-

(i)       how to help people afford to enter and maintain a private tenancy;

(ii)      how to change the sector to recognise that people are spending longer periods of their life privately renting than used to be typical;

(iii)      how to help those who wish to move out of the private rented sector to do so;

(iv)     how to help neighbourhoods with high numbers of privately-rented homes maintain a sense of community despite the turnover of neighbours; and

(v)      how to fund council services to help private renters when the Government has imposed austerity, unfairly and unnecessarily slashing local government budgets;

(c)      believes that government policies since 2010 have spectacularly failed to address these growing challenges in the private rented sector, but the new measures finally being implemented - including ‘banning orders’ for landlords convicted of malpractice, an extension of licensing for Houses of Multiple Occupation, and an end to letting agencies’ fees (all previously advocated by the Labour Party) - should be cautiously welcomed;

(d)      notes that a future Labour Government would introduce standard three-year tenancies; cap rent rises by inflation; introduce new legal minimum standards to ensure properties are “fit for human habitation”; and give renters new consumer rights (including tenants’ rights to keep pets);

(e)      supports the following measures taken by this Administration to help people who are renting privately in Sheffield:-

(i)       building new homes, including the first new council homes in a generation, to create more alternatives for those who wish to move on from renting privately;

(ii)      co-operating with landlords, the universities and students’ unions to run the SNUG accreditation scheme, which is achieving better standards for student renters;

(iii)      assisting tenants to assert their legal rights to the safe and quiet enjoyment of their rented home is making renting in Sheffield significantly safer;

(iv)     successful prosecutions against unscrupulous landlords – whether resulting in a suspended jail sentence, community service or a heavy fine – send a strong message that this Administration will pursue the strongest possible action against any landlords who are badly letting their tenants down;

(v)      stepping in to help those at risk of homelessness find a new home through Housing Solutions is an important preventative step;

(vi)     establishing a Selective Licensing scheme in Page Hall has significantly improved the quality of private rented homes in the area, with landlords investing over £1m in improving property conditions; and

(vii)     mandating that new student apartments are designed so they can be converted to alternative uses in the future makes sure there is flexibility for these developments as housing changes; and

(f)       notes this Administration’s commitment to:-

(i)       publish a charter for people renting in the private sector, clearly explaining their rights and responsibilities;

(ii)      act to limit the use of letting boards in neighbourhoods with a high density of privately-rented homes;

(iii)      publish its response to the recent consultation on whether to introduce a Selective Licensing scheme for Abbeydale, Chesterfield and London Roads; and

(iv)     continue taking the strongest possible action against rogue landlords through prosecution.

5.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Penny Baker, seconded by Councillor Steve Ayris, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the deletion of paragraphs (c) to (f) and the addition of a new paragraph (c) as follows:-

(c)      believes the adoption, nationally, of the following measures which are Liberal Democrat Party policy, can help people in Sheffield who privately rent:-

(i)       help people who cannot afford a deposit by introducing a new Rent to Own model where rent payments give tenants an increasing stake in the property, owning it outright after 30 years;

(ii)      capping up-front deposits, and increasing minimum standards in rented homes;

(iii)      help young people into the rental market by establishing a new Help to Rent scheme to provide government-backed tenancy deposit loans for all first-time renters under 30;

(iv)     give buyers a fair chance by stopping developers advertising homes abroad before they have been advertised in the UK;

(v)      give tenants first refusal to buy the home they are renting from a landlord who decides to sell during the tenancy at the market rate according to an independent valuation;

(vi)     promote longer tenancies of three years or more with an inflation-capped annual rent increase built in, to give tenants security and limit rent hikes; and

(vii)     end the scandal of rough sleeping by increasing support for homelessness prevention and adequately funding age-appropriate emergency accommodation and supported housing.

5.3

It was then moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson, seconded by Councillor Alison Teal, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (g) to (k) as follows:-

(g)      notes the huge rise in private rented accommodation in the city centre;

(h)      notes that this Council’s planning policy (CS41) on mixed communities is often not adhered to when determining planning applications and that this Council has still not refreshed its local plan;

(i)       believes this Council must re-assess the number and type of single-person apartment blocks in the city, in order to review an out-of-date student accommodation strategy;

(j)       commends the work of officers prosecuting crimes of illegal eviction and harassment and asks officers to look at further ways to support this work; and

(k)      notes the new duty in the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 requiring the Council to provide earlier, more individualised advice to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place, and looks forward to action by the Council to achieve this minimum duty.

5.4

After contributions from two other Members, and following a right of reply from Councillor Lewis Dagnall, the amendment moved by Councillor Penny Baker was put to the vote and was negatived.

5.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Douglas Johnson was then put to the vote and was also negatived.

5.5.1

(NOTE: Councillors Andy Nash, Richard Shaw, Adam Hanrahan, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Roger Davison, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, David Baker and Penny Baker voted for paragraphs (g), (h), (j) and (k) and abstained from voting on paragraph (i) of the amendment, and asked for this to be recorded.)

5.6

The original Motion was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and was carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)      welcomes the increasing public debate about private rented housing and notes the following regarding the growth of the private rented sector:-

(i)       nationally the sector has grown significantly since the 1980s whilst the social rented sector has shrunk;

(ii)      ‘generation rent’ is all too real: in the UK, 46% of people aged 25-34 and 29% of people aged 35-44 now rent privately, compared to 20% of the population as a whole, and a quarter of families with children now find their homes in the private rented sector;

(iii)      austerity and the cost of living have made life harder for many private renters and have helped create a “rent trap” for many;

(iv)     Sheffield’s private rented sector has doubled in size during the past decade to over 38,000 households, about 16% of all Sheffield’s housing, and is further predicted to grow to reach 25% of all housing in 2025; and

(v)      Sheffield’s private rented housing is diverse – ranging from purpose-built flats to former council housing sold under ‘Right to Buy’; from student Houses of Multiple Occupation to families in terraced housing – with strong concentrations in some neighbourhoods;

(b)      believes these changes in the housing market have produced the following challenges:-

(i)       how to help people afford to enter and maintain a private tenancy;

(ii)      how to change the sector to recognise that people are spending longer periods of their life privately renting than used to be typical;

(iii)      how to help those who wish to move out of the private rented sector to do so;

(iv)     how to help neighbourhoods with high numbers of privately-rented homes maintain a sense of community despite the turnover of neighbours; and

(v)      how to fund council services to help private renters when the Government has imposed austerity, unfairly and unnecessarily slashing local government budgets;

(c)      believes that government policies since 2010 have spectacularly failed to address these growing challenges in the private rented sector, but the new measures finally being implemented - including ‘banning orders’ for landlords convicted of malpractice, an extension of licensing for Houses of Multiple Occupation, and an end to letting agencies’ fees (all previously advocated by the Labour Party) - should be cautiously welcomed;

(d)      notes that a future Labour Government would introduce standard three-year tenancies; cap rent rises by inflation; introduce new legal minimum standards to ensure properties are “fit for human habitation”; and give renters new consumer rights (including tenants’ rights to keep pets);

(e)      supports the following measures taken by this Administration to help people who are renting privately in Sheffield:-

(i)       building new homes, including the first new council homes in a generation, to create more alternatives for those who wish to move on from renting privately;

(ii)      co-operating with landlords, the universities and students’ unions to run the SNUG accreditation scheme, which is achieving better standards for student renters;

(iii)      assisting tenants to assert their legal rights to the safe and quiet enjoyment of their rented home is making renting in Sheffield significantly safer;

(iv)     successful prosecutions against unscrupulous landlords – whether resulting in a suspended jail sentence, community service or a heavy fine – send a strong message that this Administration will pursue the strongest possible action against any landlords who are badly letting their tenants down;

(v)      stepping in to help those at risk of homelessness find a new home through Housing Solutions is an important preventative step;

(vi)     establishing a Selective Licensing scheme in Page Hall has significantly improved the quality of private rented homes in the area, with landlords investing over £1m in improving property conditions; and

(vii)     mandating that new student apartments are designed so they can be converted to alternative uses in the future makes sure there is flexibility for these developments as housing changes; and

(f)       notes this Administration’s commitment to:-

(i)       publish a charter for people renting in the private sector, clearly explaining their rights and responsibilities;

(ii)      act to limit the use of letting boards in neighbourhoods with a high density of privately-rented homes;

(iii)      publish its response to the recent consultation on whether to introduce a Selective Licensing scheme for Abbeydale, Chesterfield and London Roads; and

(iv)     continue taking the strongest possible action against rogue landlords through prosecution.

5.6.1

The votes on the Substantive Motion were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Substantive Motion (68)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy), The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid) and Councillors Andy Nash, Richard Shaw, Chris Rosling-Josephs, Ian Saunders, Sophie Wilson, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Kieran Harpham, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy, Adam Hanrahan, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Andy Bainbridge, Steve Wilson, Roger Davison, Shaffaq Mohammed, Abdul Khayum, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Chris Peace, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Lisa Banes, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Gail Smith, Tony Downing, Mohammad Maroof, Jim Steinke, Alison Teal, Julie Dore, Ben Miskell, Jack Scott, Dianne Hurst, Peter Rippon, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Jayne Dunn, David Baker, Penny Baker, Richard Crowther, Keith Davis, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, Adam Hurst, Zoe Sykes, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

Against paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Substantive Motion (0)

-

Nil

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (a) and (b) of the Substantive Motion (2)

-

Councillors Jack Clarkson and John Booker.

For paragraphs (c) to (f) of the Substantive Motion (53)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Anne Murphy), The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Magid Magid) and Councillors Chris Rosling-Josephs, Ian Saunders, Sophie Wilson, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Michelle Cook, Kieran Harpham, Jackie Drayton, Talib Hussain, Douglas Johnson, Robert Murphy, Mazher Iqbal, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Andy Bainbridge, Steve Wilson, Abdul Khayum, Lewis Dagnall, Cate McDonald, Chris Peace, Bob Johnson, George Lindars-Hammond, Josie Paszek, Lisa Banes, Terry Fox, Pat Midgley, David Barker, Tony Downing, Mohammad Maroof, Jim Steinke, Alison Teal, Julie Dore, Ben Miskell, Jack Scott, Dianne Hurst, Peter Rippon, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Jayne Dunn, Richard Crowther, Keith Davis, Olivia Blake, Ben Curran, Neale Gibson, Adam Hurst, Zoe Sykes, Jackie Satur and Paul Wood.

Against paragraphs (c) to (f) of the Substantive Motion (0)

-

Nil

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (c) to (f) of the Substantive Motion (17)

-

Councillors Andy Nash, Richard Shaw, Adam Hanrahan, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Roger Davison, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Steve Ayris, Gail Smith, David Baker, Penny Baker, Jack Clarkson and John Booker.