A HOUSING activist who condemned some crowded city homes as 'human rabbit hutches' has welcomed tighter rules.
Edward Kimberley has renewed his appeal to clear up Tolladine in Worcester and improve conditions within houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
There are 425 HMOs in Worcester licensed under the mandatory scheme and a further 282 under the additional licensing scheme.
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The 27-year-old last month exposed the state of parts of Tolladine including mattresses and other rubbish dumped in a garden in Dee Way, near the junction with Avon Road, and rotting bags of offal in Teme Road and Avon Road.
Mr Kimberley said: "It's easy to point the finger at residents, but I think that's a mistake. Gorse Hill ward is in such a sorry state, in part, because rules that were written to protect it were torn up in an act of political vandalism.
"That's why I am so grateful to the Labour Group for agreeing to put forward a motion to restore these HMO licensing rules to the whole of the city - and to the rest of the city council for giving it cross-party support."
In a speech at Worcester Guildhall last November, Mr Kimberley said: "Migrant workers are packed into human rabbit hutches with no security, no safety, no dignity. They are tricked into signing dodgy contracts that will keep them trapped for months on end."
On May 26, 2020, Worcester City Council adopted rules to require additional licensing for the creation of new HMOs in five wards of the city: St John, St Clement, Bedwardine, Cathedral and Arboretum.
However, a motion last November agreed that 'all wards in the city would benefit from being covered by these rules'.
The council resolved to revoke the exemptions and instead require additional licensing for HMOs across the whole of the city.
The designation came into force on September 1, 2020 and will last for five years, until August 31, 2025.
Nationally, there is a mandatory requirement for all HMOs with five or more people sharing facilities to be licensed. This requirement came into force in 2006, as a consequence of the Housing Act 2004.
Councils have a discretionary power to introduce additional licensing, which can extend the requirement for licensing to HMOs that have fewer than five people sharing facilities.
In September 2015, following a period of public consultation, the city council launched an additional licensing scheme covering the whole city. All HMOs with two beds or more were required to be licensed.
In March 2020, the city council’s Communities Committee decided to retain the scheme in the five wards with the greatest concentration of HMOs – Arboretum, Bedwardine, St John’s and St Clement’s.
In November 2022 Cllr Jabba Riaz tabled a motion proposing the additional licensing scheme was extended to the whole city. This motion was passed.
The council launched a public consultation on extending additional HMO licensing to cover the whole city on January 19.
The consultation closed on February 10. Results are being evaluated. A report will be brought to the Communities Committee.
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