Call to let city set cap on private rent costs

A group of councillors want the power to introduce private sector rent controls in their city as part of efforts to tackle "spiralling housing costs".

Worcester City Council is set to explore the possibility after approving a Green Party motion calling for the measure.

Green member Alex Mace said just over a fifth of households in Worcester were private renters, slightly above the national average.

Introducing the motion at a full council meeting on Tuesday, he said London mayor Sadiq Khan and both Oxford and Bristol city councils had called for rent control powers, while the Scottish Government had already introduced means for local authorities to cap rent increases.

"Worcester's spiralling housing costs are central to the cost of living crisis in our city, with private renters being among the hardest hit," Mace said.

"Without making renting more affordable, thousands of residents in the city will continue to face staggering costs, be plunged further into economic hardship and be priced out."

He said the government's Renters' Rights Act strengthened tenants' rights but did not stop landlords increasing rents in line with market prices.

"The cost of renting has outpaced wage growth in this country for decades. This will not change without councils having the power to impose rent controls," he added.

The motion was passed with the addition of a Labour amendment that means the council's communities committee will first consider how the Renters' Rights Act has impacted Worcester residents, before writing to the housing secretary to ask for more powers.

Liberal Democrat councillors voted against the motion, saying there were "better, more sustainable ways to tackle the issue".

Councillor Karen Holmes said: "Too many people are struggling with housing costs."

But she added: "Worcester is not London. We need more homes, more rental properties and a strong local economy – alongside sensible tenant protections."

Liberal Democrat co-leader Jessie Jagger said: "We support stronger tenant protections. We support predictable annual rent increases. We support ending no-fault evictions.

"We think Labour have taken appropriate steps nationally to protect renters, but any suggestion of going further is just madness."

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