Ashfield Reform UK Launches Campaign to Stop HMOs

Ashfield Reform UK has launched a petition to stop Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) as Reform UK Councillors request an Extraordinary Meeting of Ashfield District Council to introduce measures to stop HMOs. The Ashfield MP Lee Anderson has also written to Council Leader Jason Zadrozny to demand that HMOs are stopped.

Reform UK Councillors have requested an Extraordinary Meeting of Ashfield District Council to propose measures that will give the authority the power to stop HMOs.

Everybody knows that HMOs are out of control in Ashfield. We have seen significant rise in the number of HMOs in the district in recent years, and all the issues that they have brought to our communities in Ashfield. Areas where HMOs are imposed on local communities often see a sharp rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.

As the Labour Government scrambles to disperse illegal migrants claiming to be asylum seekers into HMOs, Ashfield residents are being forced to deal with the consequences. It should be residents who get to decide who lives in their community to ensure that the places they call home are respected and kept safe.

That is why we at Ashfield Reform UK have launched a campaign to stop HMOs.

Reform UK recently proposed a motion calling for the introduction of Article 4 Directions at Bassetlaw District Council. District Councillors decided unanimously to invoke Article 4 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (GDPO), which will give the council powers to stop HMOs in the area.

Thanks to the efforts of the Reform UK councillors, the move by Bassetlaw District Council will remove the permitted development rights for dwellings to become HMOs housing 3 to 6 people in areas of Bassetlaw where there has been a growth in HMOs. By making all HMOs go through the planning committee, important consultations can take place with residents on the proposed location of HMOs. 

Ashfield District Council is yet to do the same.

The protection of residents must come before the interests of private contractors, weak national targets, and political agendas. The fact this motion passed unanimously in Labour-run Bassetlaw District Council shows this is not a political issue. It would be indefensible for Ashfield District Council to not show the same level of leadership as Bassetlaw District Council on this matter.

We have launched a petition to demand that Ashfield District Councils stops HMOs by invoking Article 4 of the GDPO. The petition is available on our website and can be found here: PETITION: Stop HMOs in Ashfield by invoking Article 4 of the GDPO

Reform UK District Councillors have requested an Extraordinary Meeting of Ashfield District Council on 8th September to propose this course of action. This will give Councillors the opportunity to vote for this measure to give the authority the power to stop HMOs.

The Reform UK Ashfield MP, Lee Anderson, has also written to Council Leader Jason Zadrozny to demand that Ashfield District Council follows the lead of Reform UK Councillors by invoking Article 4 of the GDPO to stop HMOs in Ashfield. You can read the full letter below.