After Leeds City Council introduced selective licensing in two of its wards in 2020 the resulting “closer working” between the council and allied agencies - enabled by the licensing schemes - ended up with “the seizure of over £50 million in Cannabis across the city as a whole.” Now the council is looking to extend licensing across five more of its ‘priority’ wards, in part, as a result of this licensing success.

It’s probably fair to say that the majority of the public have never heard of the “Government Digital [by default] Strategy” published in 2012. But then, it was meant for government departments, rather than the public, in order to drive efficiency and financial savings in the provision of public services.

Peterborough City Council’s new Selective Licensing scheme, which covers 10 of the city’s wards and was launched in March, has received over 7,000 applications with over 1,750 draft licences issued and over 500 final licences issued to landlords operating private rented sector properties in the city.

Licensing schemes are an essential tool for elevating rental housing standards. At their core, Selective and Additional licensing schemes are all about ensuring better living conditions for tenants, a goal everyone can stand behind. The real conversation often centres on the most effective ways to achieve these standards. Based on our hands-on experience, the central pillar of any successful licensing scheme lies in rigorous property inspections that ensure tenants have a safe place to live.