Middlesbrough Council is set to open a public consultation on extending selective licensing in the Newport area of the borough with a projected start date for the new scheme of April 2023 if the Council Executive gives the go ahead after the 10 week consultation period has concluded.

The licence fee for landlords is set to be £760 per property for a 5 year licence and, in addition, a £20 fee will cover the cost of the "Fit and Proper Person" test each licence applicant/holder will need to comply with.

Selective licensing of private rented properties was originally used in the North Ormesby ward before being extended to the Newport ward via a designation referred to as the Newport 1 scheme. The new scheme is referred to as the Newport 2 Scheme and the supporting proposal for it is based on evaluations of the previous schemes which had shown improvements in property prices, housing quality, anti social behaviour statistics and the feelings of residents about how safe they felt in the licensed areas.

The council's report on the proposal argues that an extension of selective licensing is the best option (out of a series of possible options) in terms of costs to the council, enforcement capacity of the council, engagement from and support provided to private landlords and beneficial outcomes for tenants and residents based on the council's previous experience with selective licensing.

Cllr. Eric Polano, the council's Executive Member for Regeneration said "Selective Landlord Licensing has helped deliver many improvements in the private rented sector already in North Ormesby and a section of the Newport ward ... "