Stockport Labour’s Lead member for Housing, Cllr Sheila Bailey has written to GM Leaders urging them to back the abolishment of Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’.
Stockport Labour brought a motion calling for a change in legislation which allows Landlords to evict tenants through no fault of their own at the July 4th full Council meeting, and now Cllr Bailey is calling on all GM Local Authorities to do the same if they have not already.
The letter notes that Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’ contribute to ‘a range of social problems associated with people losing their homes’ including homelessness, and its abolishment ‘should enjoy the support of all Local Authorities’ given their key roles in relation Housing and preventing homelessness.
Commenting, Cllr Bailey said:
“Section 21 no fault evictions mean that many private tenants are insecure in their own homes. Eleven million tenants live in this position of insecurity.
“No Fault evictions can lead to homelessness and unacceptable disruptions to family life through no fault of the tenants involved.
“These are issues which defy party lines and which can be helped by a simple change in legislation.
“For these reasons I have written to Councils in GM which have not brought similar motions through their Council meetings in the hope we can achieve GM-wide collective voice on this issue.
“It is my hope this can be achieved and can help provide impetus to this legislative change which will benefit the lives of so many, and should happen as soon as possible. “
A motion calling for an end to Section 21 evictions was passed unanimously at Stockport’s 4th July Council meeting, the text of the motion is below.
ENDS
NOTES:
- The webcast for the discussion of the Abolishment of Section 21 No Fault Evictions motion (04.07.19) is available here https://stockport.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/429267/start_time/11958000#
- The full text of the motion follows.
(6.b) Abolishment of Section 21 No Fault Evictions
This Council notes that:
- no fault evictions, introduced under Section 21 of the 1988 Housing Act, allow landlords to evict tenants, without having to give a reason, once the term of the tenancy has expired;
- most of England’s 11 million renters are on tenancies with fixed terms of six months or a year; after this period has ended, landlords can evict their tenants under Section 21;
- research published by The Observer campaign group Generation Rent indicates that Section 21 evictions are now the single biggest cause of homelessness in England; and that
- in 2017, the Scottish Government made tenancies indefinite and banned no-fault evictions under the terms of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016.
This Council believes Abolishing Section 21 no-fault evictions:
- would help to make renting more secure, improve standards and increase tenant confidence;
- would further help to tackle homelessness, which should be a priority for government at all levels; and,
- should happen as soon as practicably possible.
This Council therefore:
- welcomes the UK Government announcement in April on plans to consult on new legislation to abolish Section 21 evictions in England, with which we will engage constructively;
- resolves to work with the Unfair Evictions Campaign led by Generation Rent, the New Economics Foundation, ACORN and the London Renters Union, to bring about the swift Abolition of Section 21 no fault evictions; and
- resolves to bring a report to a future Communities and Housing Scrutiny Committee on the proportion of homelessness cases in Stockport resulting from private sector evictions under Section 21 and outlining how the Council has used the powers at its disposal to combat rogue landlords and support vulnerable tenants.
Moved by: Councillor Sheila Bailey
Seconded by: Councillor Matt Wynne