Decision details

The Director of Communities, Housing and Environment submitted a report on proposals regarding the potential development of business case(s) for the establishment of further selective licensing scheme(s) in the city with respect to the five priority Wards of Armley, Beeston and Holbeck, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, Gipton and Harehills, and Hunslet and Riverside.

By way of introduction, the Executive Member highlighted that this report followed the Board’s prior approval in June 2019 of two selective licensing schemes in Beeston and Harehills which commenced in January 2020. It was noted that those schemes were scheduled to expire in January 2025 in line with the maximum duration of five years allowed for such schemes. The report evaluated the impact of those current schemes and proposed appropriate next steps around the consideration of potentially establishing further selective licensing scheme(s) in the city with respect to the five priority wards listed.

Members received further detail on the positive impact that had been experienced through the current selective licensing schemes in Beeston and Harehills.

A Member made a specific enquiry regarding the level of metrics available from the current selective licensing schemes and requested that the relevant data relating to this matter be submitted to Scrutiny for consideration as part of the next steps process prior to being further considered by Executive Board. In response, further details were provided to the Board regarding the positive outcomes that had been achieved by the current schemes to date, and it was undertaken that the Member request for Scrutiny involvement would be taken on board as part of the next steps for this process.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the development of potential business case(s) under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 for further selective licensing scheme(s) in respect of the five priority Wards of: Armley; Beeston and Holbeck; Burmantofts and Richmond Hill; Gipton and Harehills; and Hunslet and Riverside, be approved;

(b)  That the Board consider the matter again at a future date once the final business case(s) have been fully developed and agreed, in order to consider whether to designate any further selective licensing area(s) under Part 3 of the Housing Act 2004 or to request the Secretary of State to consider an application to do so if it meets the threshold for their approval;

(c)  That it be noted that the Director of Communities, Housing and Environment is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions detailed above.