DfE Confirms Tuition Fee Freeze
22nd Jan 2021
A Birmingham MP has vowed to crackdown on rouge student landlords despite his proposals not receiving the necessary support.
Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe drew up his Protection of Family Homes Bill after being inundated with complaints from residents who said that family homes were being over extended and split up into student flats.
Mr McCabe proposed a law to strengthen planning regulations, giving council planning departments more powers, including levying fines on non-compliant landlords.
The Labour MP previously warned that student houses were taking over family properties in parts of Selly Oak. However, despite initially gaining support from other MPs whose own constituencies were being blighted by rouge landlords, the Bill fell flat at the second reading stage in the House of Commons last year.
Despite the setback MP Mr McCabe has not waned in his attempts to fight back.
Commenting on the proposals, he said: "I'm furious about the Government's attitude. Despite acknowledging that a number of rouge landlords have no regard for planning legislation or building regulations, there was nothing in their recent white paper to deal with the exploitation of permitted development rights."
He added: "I introduced my Bill with the aim of strengthening planning enforcement practices by imposing fines on landlords and developers who violate planning regulations. I'm pleased to see the council is taking action but a change in law is needed which is why I'm not letting my Bill to protect family homes go. "
