A row has broken out over plans to re-introduce selective licencing for landlords within parts of the Salford in Manchester.

This follows the council's decision last month to consult on the scheme, which will charge landlords £609.

The city already has a scheme in Langworthy, Weaste and Seedley and another in Eccles, Barton and Winton and now wants a third in parts of the Broughton and Kersal & Broughton Park wards – covering about 1,340 properties - which was subject to a previous scheme from 2016 to 2021.

Justifying the decision, the council said during a meeting at its civic centre (main image) that: “Selective Licensing will address existing issues of poor property and tenancy management in privately rented accommodation.

“The scheme will also ensure that new landlords investing in the designated area understand what is expected of them and will sustain the strong community that the regeneration programmes have worked hard to establish.”

Premature

But Andrew Walters (pictured), a councillor representing the Kersal & Broughton Park ward, has criticised the scheme and called-in the proposal for further scrutiny, reports the Manchester Evening News.

"The decision to spend £7,500 of public funds to do a consultation is premature whilst ward councillors have not been consulted or even informed of the proposal,” he says.

"The report is misleading and inaccurate and shows a lack of understanding of the idiosyncratic demographics of the area.

“Should the proposed selective licensing be implemented, it will be at the expense of tenants, does nothing to improve tenants' conditions, discourages private landlords at a time where there is an insufficient supply of social housing, causes an unnecessary and stressful invasion of privacy to both tenants and landlords, and most importantly, does not represent the wishes of my constituents."

Walters is not alone in his criticism of the scheme. Councillor Robin Garrido, leader of the Conservatives at Salford council, said at a meeting last month that the £609 fee was "extortionate" and could hurt landlords managing "one or two properties."