Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors:

Helen Crawford

James Denniston

Richard Dixon-Warren

Phil Gadd

Gloria Johnson

Jane Kingman

Philip Knowles

Bridget Ley

Vanessa Smith

Murray Turner

Mark Whittington

Councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew disclosed a prejuducial interest as she was a landlord.

She would take no part in the debate or the vote.

The public open forum will last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

There were no questions or statements from members of the public.

A motion without notice to refer Councillor Gareth Knight’s motion to the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committee was proposed and seconded.

Note:  The Chairman of Council left proceedings at this point; the Vice-Chairman was in the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

Councillors David Bellamy, Ben Green and Graham Jeal left the Council Chamber during debate and did not return.

Councillors debated the most appropriate forum for this motion. It was advised that Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee could consider the issue at their next scheduled meeting on 4 December 2025.

Having been previously moved and seconded, and following a vote it was AGREED:

DECISION

That Full Council refer Councillor Gareth Knight’s motion to the relevant Overview and Scrutiny committee before it returns for Full Council’s consideration.

This Council notes:

1. The ongoing public concern about the housing of asylum seekers by the Labour government;
2. That the closure of asylum hotels is increasingly raising the question of where the government will go next to house asylum seekers;
3. That the private rented sector is a logical area for the government to exploit;
4. The use of Section 21 “no fault eviction” notices and fears from charities and tenants that they are being used to free up accommodation for government contractors to use for asylum seekers before the Renters Rights Bill abolishes Section 21 notices;
5. The Renters Rights Bill scheduled for Royal Assent in July 2025 with implementation scheduled from October 2025 to January 2026 (at time of writing the Bill had still not received Royal Assent);
6. That a wide range of councils have established mandatory registration for private sector landlords, primarily as a means of addressing concerns about “slum landlords” and substandard housing.

This Council believes:

1. In transparency for the sake of community cohesion;
2. In supporting our residents in private sector rental accommodation who fear eviction for no stated reason;
3. That the private rented sector is a valuable part of our housing mix and that landlords should always be supported in removing tenants who break the terms of their rental agreements.

This Council resolves:

1. To immediately introduce a voluntary register of all privately rented accommodation in South Kesteven, the landlords and managing agents of each property and a voluntary declaration as to whether or not the property is being used for a government contract or if Section 21 notices have been served by that landlord at any time in the last 12 months.
2. To ensure our housing officers receive full support in the fast and full introduction of the mandatory register as prescribed in the Renters Rights Bill.
3. To conduct a capacity review of our Private Sector Housing team to ensure they are adequately resourced to give proactive support to ensure our residents in private sector rental properties have safe and high quality accommodation.

The motion from Councillor Gareth Knight had been referred to a relevant body earlier in proceedings.

The meeting closed at 3:21pm.