Agenda item

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak, regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the remit of the Working Group, may do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00 pm on Friday 7^th January 2010.

It was reported that there had been 5 registrations to speak in relation to item 4, Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

Caleb Wooding, a representative of the Green Party and a Student based in York advised the Working Group that the Council needs to develop a strategy to provide housing for all. The University is expanding and that 2^nd and 3^rd year students require privately rented accommodation. He suggested the following:

• Improve transport links to the University to all areas of the City and Students would be able to spread out into other areas.
• Private sector accommodation is welcoming for students rather than living in University accommodation.
• A policy that could assist is a lodger scheme that offers a 25% discount on Council tax to take in a student lodger.
• He welcomes further research into the matter.

Mark Warters representing Osbaldwick Parish Council asked Members whether they felt the existing housing stock in York is worthy of protection from being developed into HMOs. In reference to paragraph 24 of the Officers report, he pointed out that other Local Authorities had brought in measures to bring HMOs under planning controls and asked that York does the same. He felt that there is no need for further consultation and urged Members to progress the matter now rather than waiting until a later date.

Neil McTurk representing York Residential Landlords Association advised that the strength of feeling amongst landlords was apparent from the high numbers in attendance at the meeting. He felt that not all stakeholders affected by the proposals had been consulted. He queried whether the HMOs situation in York is bad enough to warrant article 4 direction. He suggested that Officers already have sufficient powers to tackle HMOs using planning controls and that HMOs are not just lived in by students, but professionals and low income tenants that also require this sort of housing. The Officers report finds no adverse effect on the schools in the areas with higher numbers of HMOs and  asked Members if they wanted a high quality rental sector or a retraction.

John Nixon representing Badger Hill Residents Community Group advised that the problem in Badger Hill is that houses are being converted at an alarming rate. The HMOs in the area have between 4 and 10 occupants and are often next to the homes of elderly people. He welcomed the article 4 direction for the Badger Hill area and feels it should also be applicable in other areas of York. He referred Members to page 62 of the agenda which contained comments submitted by the residents group including the fact that many residents are considering moving from the area.

Councillor Morley, Ward Councillor for Osbaldwick thanked Officers for their engagement with communities. He advised that areas of concentration of HMOs are developing, particularly in the East of the City and he welcomed the direction of the report. He felt that immediate article 4 direction would be too risky and recommended a years notice period.