Last-minute U-turn on licensing forced on council

Conservative opposition councillors have derailed a local authority’s plan to introduce a landlord licensing scheme this week.

Southend council is run by a coalition of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors, and was set to start a new scheme on December 1.

Under it, five-year license would cost landlords £688.

However, a procedure instigated by Tory group leader Tony Cox has led to the start being delayed until further details are available to councillors.

Cox has told the local media: “When you go to the current report, there is not one single recommendation on how to implement the scheme. We haven't got any detailed recommendations on how we are going to introduce the scheme.

“What we haven’t got is how scheme is going to be administered but if we are going to have a scheme it’s got to be compliant and robust and all the options have got to be looked at.”

It is now likely that the scheme will begin in late winter or early spring.

Council leader Ian Gilbert adds: "For the first time the council will be able and have the resource to put in a proactive inspection regime so that we don't actually have to wait for complaints - we don't have to wait for things to get so bad that the tenant is driven to desperation."

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