The City Mayors of Manchester, Liverpool and London signed up to the letter which was coordinated by the London Renters Union and which seeks a PRS rent freeze due to the cost of living crisis.

The letter to the Secretary of State at DLUHC starts off by saying "We are writing to urge the government to follow the Scottish government and introduce an immediate freeze on rents, to help renters weather the worst of the cost of living crisis and help prevent huge numbers of renters facing homelessness in the coming months".

The letter points to statistics on the level of PRS rent increases in various parts of the country and says that "since last year, there has been a 121.1% increase in the number of households served a section 21 notice".

The letter was also signed by a number of council leaders and borough mayors as well as trade unions, the national union of students and a number of support and advice organisations.

The Levelling Up department is quoted in The Guardian as saying, in response to the letter, "evidence shows that rent controls do not work, leading to declining standards and a lack of investment and may encourage illegal subletting".

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