Lee Anderson MP Slams Government and Council Over HMO & Flat Conversions and Calls on Government to Licence HMOs

The Reform UK Member of Parliament for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, has launched a scathing attack on the Labour Government and Ashfield Independent-led Ashfield District Council over the “decline of our towns” regarding recent proposals at several sites in Ashfield to develop Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) and flats.

Lee Anderson MP calls out the Government and Local Council

He has also written to Angela Rayner, The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to demand that she introduces legislation to mandate all HMOs to require a Government-issued licence in order to operate as a HMO. Currently, HMOs that are occupied by five or more people from more than one household are required to obtain a licence from their local council and are typically valid for a maximum of five years.

Mr Anderson has voiced the concerns of Ashfield residents following a wave of planning applications that will and have seen former pubs converted into residential accommodation such as HMOs and flats, without regard for the implications on the community.

Lee Anderson cited recent examples such as The Peacock Hotel pub in Huthwaite which is currently awaiting planning permission for the building to be demolished, and 23 single-bed residential flats will be developed in its place.

Other examples include The Old Blue Bell pub on Lammas Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield, which has recently applied to expand from a 15-resident HMO into a 29-resident HMO. The Wyvern Club in Kirkby-in-Ashfield was also recently demolished by Ashfield District Council, who had originally promised to build a brand-new pub using Towns Fund money secured from Government by the Ashfield MP, but those plans have since been scrapped by the authority and are now proposing to build 12 flats.

Lee Anderson MP said:

“I have been inundated with emails from concerned residents regarding several planning applications and decisions where pubs around Ashfield are being converted into HMOs and flats.”

“These sorts of accommodation are a blight on our communities. They often see a rise in local crime and anti-social behaviour in the area. The Government needs to start requiring licences for all HMOs.”

“It is a sad reflection on our bankrupt economy, thanks to the Labour Government, that these pubs are closing their doors. But our local councillors are rubber-stamping these proposals without any thought to the communities around them.

“Our towns are regressing, and it is particularly frustrating when money that I secured from Government during the last Parliament is being used by the Council to actively make our towns worse.”