A SENIOR Worcester politician has defended a controversial crackdown on private landlords - saying it is "not cut and dried".

Councillor David Wilkinson, who is the Conservative responsible for housing in the city, says he wants to see what people think of the policy before taking anything forward.

As your Worcester News revealed yesterday, the council is considering forcing around 2,000 private landlords to pay £670 for a "licence".

It would apply to all Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs), and the cash will be used to fund inspections of properties to ensure they are up to standard.

It has been panned by the National Landlords Association (NLA), which says the bill will end up getting passed onto tenants.

At the moment only HMO owners with properties of five beds or more, over three storeys, have to be on a council register, with the total a tiny 187.

Cllr Wilkinson, the cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, said: "This is not cut and dried, we are looking at a consultation over this because we want to get people's views.

"There was a suggestion at one time that this should be extended to all private properties, but a report which went to the cabinet last year said the council didn't have the evidence to support that.

"The idea is to introduce a level playing field - at the moment some HMOs have to pay to be on a list and some don't.

"But we have not made our minds up about anything yet, it will be looked at very carefully."

Under the suggestion, the extension of the HMO database would mean around 2,000 landlords paying £670 once every five years.

It follows concern around an explosion in the number of rented homes across Worcester, which makes up nearly 20 per cent of the 42,000 properties in the city.

A report going to the cabinet on Tuesday is suggesting 12 weeks of consultation before agreeing anything.

At the moment the council does carry out enforcement checks on some private homes, but it averages just 162 per year.

Don Robbie, from the National Landlords Association, reiterated his concerns again yesterday, saying it is "a very big decision".