Increased regulation for house shares in Cumbria

Westmorland and Furness Council has agreed to “to take concrete steps to address the proliferation of HMOs” (House in Multiple Occupation) after a meeting with Barrow politicians.

Following a meeting on September 5, the council has agreed to extend the licensing of HMOs in the Barrow area after a meeting with Michelle Scrogham, MP for Barrow and Furness, and councillor Derek Brook, leader of the local Labour Group.

Extending the licensing of HMOs would mean that a larger number of properties would be subject to mandatory government licensing because of an increased amount of regulation.

This would make it more difficult to set up and licence an HMO.

In a joint statement, Mrs Scrogham and Mr Brook told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We are pleased that Westmorland and Furness council has agreed to take concrete steps to address the proliferation of HMOs after we have been raising this issue with them over a long period.

“We urgently need to see the extension of licensing of HMOs as an important first step while the necessary work is done to introduce an Article 4 direction to remove permitted development rights for conversion of local homes. We are pleased that the local authority has agreed with us on this.”

They went on to say that the “rapid increase” in HMOs has priced local families out of the housing market, strained local services, affected the character of local neighbourhoods, caused parking issues, and reduced community cohesion.

However, they said that HMOs have played “an important role” in providing housing for contractors at BAE and NHS workers and will provide student’s homes when the new University of Cumbria campus opens.

They continued: “We must not travel any further down the blind alley of losing more of the family homes which are already in short supply due to the housing crisis in our town.

“These homes are needed by local people but are also vital if we are to succeed in our vision of encouraging people to move here permanently, to support the expansion of the shipyard over the coming years.”

In a statement to the LDRS, councillor Johnathan Brook, leader of the council, said: “Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to exploring what additional controls we can implement in the Furness area to ensure that the growth of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) is managed in a way that benefits both housing stock and the wider community.

“Our aim is to take a balanced approach that safeguards the character of housing across the area ensuring our communities continue to thrive, whilst acknowledging the important contribution HMOs make in supporting residents, sustaining jobs, and strengthening the local economy.

“We look forward to working with partners, including local MPs, residents, and employers, as this important work moves forward.”

Full details of the licence extension are yet to be released.