Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has backed the expansion of a selective licencing scheme within her local constituency.

This is despite opposition to selective licencing among landlords being so strong that an initial pilot led to a group of them to launch Leeds Landlords Against Licencing (LLAL), which sought Judicial Reviews of the council’s decision making, although these were not successful.

Reeves, who is the MP for Leeds West, was taken by local councillors on a ‘walkabout’ to see her constituency’s private rented housing stock in the ward of Armley ahead of a council meeting next week during which a significant expansion of a local licencing scheme is to be discussed.

Warning

Councillor Alice Smart (pictured) welcomed the moves to introduce selective licencing, saying: “Rachel Reeves MP and the Armley Labour councillors welcome the news that a proposal to extend selective landlord licensing to Armley, will be brought to Exec Board this month.”

The council has warned that expanding selective licencing will see LLAL active again, highlighting how previously it “ran an active campaign, including social media, mainstream media and lobbying of ward and lead members and senior managers in the council against [licencing].

“It is likely [that] similar campaigning will occur again if the proposal is agreed.”

Councillors will be asked to approve a budget of £400,000 to spend on developing a business case for the expansion.

This will see licencing rise from four to seven wards which, if given the green light, would require landlords to licence properties within Armley, Beeston and Holbeck, Burmantofts, Richmond Hill, Gipton and Harehills, Hunslet and Riverside.

Once the report has been completed, a decision will be made on expansion ‘at a later date’.