Portsmouth Labour plans to require all private landlords be licensed by the council, were voted down by Liberal Democrat and Tory councillors on Tuesday evening.

The motion put forward by Labour councillors was the latest action in a campaign by the local party to stand up for renters and the communities in which they live.

Following hundreds of conversations with local residents who raised concerns about low quality housing and poor property management in the private rented sector, Labour have been pushing the council to do more to improve standards by introducing a landlord licensing scheme.

Landlord licensing schemes help to improve conditions in private rented homes, tackle rogue landlords and offer higher levels of support to landlords. Such a scheme would include a team within the council to oversee it.

The motion put forward by Labour also proposed extending existing landlord licensing schemes to include smaller Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and other privately rented properties.

However Liberal Democrat councillors put forward an amendment to the motion which removed the commitment to start implementing the landlord licensing schemes.

Instead, they put in a list of actions the council is already pursuing and then pledged to look into the issue of licensing but without making any firm commitments.

Their amendment was opposed by Labour councillors on the grounds that it changed the meaning of the motion and removed the commitment to take decisive action.

But the changes to the motion were pushed through by the Lib Dems after Tory councillors teamed up to support them.

Labour spokesperson for Housing and Councillor for Charles Dickens ward Cal Corkery said:

“Residents will be disappointed the Tories and Lib Dems have teamed up to vote down our proposals this evening. 

“Labour believes that every person has the right to live in a decent and affordable home and we’ll continue working hard to make that vision a reality.”

Portsmouth Labour councillors and activists will continue to campaign on improving standards in the private rented sector and on making sure the council is doing all within its power to tackle the housing crisis.

If you’ve got an issue impacting your community that you’d like to raise with the local Labour team let us know by getting in touch here.