Member

A third unnecessary barrier is the requirement for local authorities that are establishing selective licensing schemes using certain criteria to ensure that the private rented sector forms a high proportion of properties in an area. However, if there are issues in the private rented sector which can be addressed through selective licensing schemes, it seems arbitrary for local authorities to be enabled to establish such schemes without ensuring that the sector forms a high proportion of the properties. I welcome the fact that the Government have recently enabled local authorities to introduce selective licensing schemes of any size without approval from the Secretary of State. I suggest that that makes it all the more urgent for these other unnecessary barriers to the effectiveness of such schemes to be removed. I hope the Minister agrees that the proposals I am making are small but important, and that Government will agree with them.