Licensing

• Brighton is latest council to turn down Uber licence

  Brighton & Hove City Council has refused to renew Uber’s licence after finding the firm is not ‘fit and proper’.

  

• New guide provides national benchmark for granting taxi licences

  A new guide to help councils decide if someone should be granted a taxi or private hire licence has been published today by the Institute of Licensing (IoL).

  

• Burnham proposes ‘rogue landlord’ amnesty

  Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has proposed an amnesty for ‘rogue landlords’ in an attempt to drive them out of the private rented sector.

  

• Calls for councils to have power to confiscate properties from criminal landlords

  Local authorities should be given the power to confiscate properties from landlords who exploit vulnerable tenants, MPs have said today.

  

• Rogue landlord database goes live

  A new national database which will enable councils to share information about rogue landlords went live today as part of an effort to crackdown on illegal practices in the private rented sector.

  

• Nottingham gets approval for new landlord licensing scheme

  A new licencing scheme to help improve the condition of privately rented homes in Nottingham has been given the green light by the Government.

  

• Rogue landlords forced to pay back ‘racketeering’ proceeds

  Brent has become the first council in the country to use the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) against slum landlords for breaches of licensing conditions.

  

• Blackpool set to become first council to manage its own water supply

  Blackpool Council has applied to Ofwat for a water and sewerage licence, making it the first local authority to move towards managing its own water supply.

  

• Taxi licences granted to drivers with criminal convictions, campaigners warn

  Taxi and private hire vehicle licences are being granted to drivers with criminal convictions because there are no national minimum standards to enforce sufficient safety checks, campaigners say.

  

• Councils given power to tackle overcrowding in private homes

  Councils have been given more power to crack-down on overcrowded homes and stop landlords from renting out sub-standard properties.