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News release

Denham lashes at NLA over shared housing

15 April 2010

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, has waded into the shared housing row by accusing David Cameron of “doing favours for the National Landlords Association (NLA) rather than listening to residents’ concerns.” These extraordinary comments came after David Cameron laid a parliamentary motion calling for new shared housing planning permission requirements to be scrapped.

John Denham continued his attack by accusing David Cameron of a “devious misuse of the parliamentary process, apparently at the behest of the National Landlords Association.”

The new law requires planning permission for new shared housing where three or more unrelated people live together. The plans will limit shared housing in many areas affecting not just students, but migrant workers and those who rely of shared housing as an affordable housing option.

However, as the new planning rules are not retrospective they will not alleviate the problems associated with existing shared housing.

David Salusbury, Chairman, NLA, responding to John Denham’s comments, said:

“This smacks of electioneering. John Denham has been vociferous in his campaign against shared housing. This law was rushed through Parliament without a chance for debate, excluding MPs from having a say on this ill thought out policy. It would have been more honest for John Denham to make the case for this change in Parliament, rather than avoiding debate.

“Government needs to rethink these plans, work with MPs and stakeholders from all sides and come up with better proposals. We want to see more shared housing for people who need it and local authorities directly tackling the problems associated with houses in multiple occupation.”

The Labour Matters blog post can be read here.

-ENDS-

All media enquiries to:
Steven Hilton
Media Relations Manager, NLA
Email:
Tel: 020 7840 8906
Mob: 07508 031 084

Notes to Editors:
Representing landlords from all over the UK, the National Landlords Association (NLA) is the leading organisation for private-residential landlords. It campaigns for the legitimate interests of landlords by seeking to influence decision-makers at all levels of government and by making landlords’ collective voice heard in the media. The NLA helps landlords make a success of their lettings business by providing a wide range of information, advice and services. It seeks to raise standards in the private-rented sector while aiming to ensure that landlords are aware of their statutory rights and responsibilities.