Liberal Democrats councillors will set out new plans to protect private renters at a meeting of Oldham Council next week (01/11).  Saddleworth North representative and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Housing councillor Garth Harkness said, “Private renting is becoming increasingly unaffordable and insecure in Oldham Borough.”

“The private rented sector is like the Wild West.  There aren’t enough regulations in place to crack down on cowboy landlords, poor quality living conditions and unfair evictions.  This also does not reward responsible landlords either.”

Councillor Harkness will move a motion in the council chamber next week (1/11/23) that calls on Oldham Council to get tougher on rogue landlords by issuing and enforcing improvement notices where conditions are unacceptable.  This includes issues with excess cold as well as damp and mould.  

According to the homelessness charity Crisis, the end of a private rented tenancy is now the leading cause of homelessness in England.

Earlier this month, several of Greater Manchester’s leading housing and homelessness charities came together to announce a new campaign declaring a “private renters’ emergency”.  Their campaign was supported by Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE who will second the Liberal Democrat motion next week. 

Councillor Sykes said, “Wages are not keeping up with the rising cost of renting and this is already having devastating consequences for families in Oldham.  Urgent changes in the law are needed to give private renters more protections from runaway rents and poor-quality housing.  We also need to build more homes to rent!”

“But it’s not just about pointing the finger at the government.  Here in Oldham, we need the council to act proactively, to support residents when they are living in substandard homes, and to crack down on landlords when they aren’t meeting basic requirements.  The Liberal Democrats are setting out an action plan including the use of fines, improvement notices and licensing powers, that the council can use to ensure a fair deal for private renters