News from Southampton Labour

Whitehead’s familiy housing campaign pays off

Alan Whitehead MP has succeeded in a long campaign with Portswood residents to secure a change in the law to protect family housing in Southampton.

Dr Whitehead today welcomed the government’s announcement that it is to change the Use Classes Order to regulate the conversion of family homes into rented housing occupied by multiple households. In the future, the change will require landlords to apply for permission from the Council if they want to change the use of one of their properties from a family home to a House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) – just as if they were looking to build an extension on to the property.

The Southampton Labour MP brought a 10-minute rule bill to Parliament calling for this change three years ago. At that time, the Southampton Tory Councillor in charge of planning, Matt Dean, called the proposals ‘illiberal, unjust and tantamount to regulatory blackmail’ (though the Tories now claim to support the campaign).

Since that time Dr Whitehead has continued to lobby for these changes in Parliament, including delivering a Southampton HMO roundtable between local residents, local students, and Housing MInister Iain Wright MP, which contributed to the call for change.

Dr Whitehead said: “I’m delighted that our long campaign has paid off. This will be a good deal for everyone in Southampton, not just people looking for family homes but also students, who will benefit from a tougher licensing regime which landlords will find it harder to evade.

“But Southampton will not get the full benefit of this change unless the Tory Council uses the powers at its disposal to require all landlords of students properties to be licensed. Many family homes in parts of the city have already been rented out as HMOs. We can’t turn the clock back for those properties, but we can and should make sure those landlords are maintaining their properties well and being clear with their tenants about their responsibilities on issues like noise pollution and anti-social behaviour.”

Other news from Southampton Labour

• We must keep investing to help everyone back into work – Labour MPs - 10 March 2010
• Alan Whitehead MP calls for support for hardworking carers - 8 March 2010
• Whitehead pledges to continue the fight against fuel poverty - 8 March 2010