West Northants Council shoots down motion to write to government expressing concerns about indefinitely delayed no fault eviction ban

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will not write to the government to express their concerns about the indefinitely delayed ban on no-fault evictions, as a motion was shot down at full council.

The Lib Dems’ motion asked WNC to raise the lack of progress on banning section 21 evictions to the Housing Minister, and to impress the effect this could have on unsuspecting residents in West Northants.

This eviction notice gives tenants only two months to move before their landlord can apply for a court order to evict them.

Councillor Sally Beardsworth, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “We can’t struggle on with people being evicted by unscrupulous landlords to get a higher rent. Without these reforms to section 21, without the help, these people are getting evicted.

“All I am asking is to write to the government to see if they’ll review this and maybe help some people not lose their homes. A lot of those people will come to us for help and we haven’t got the resources to help them- you know that.”

However, Councillor Adam Brown, deputy leader of WNC and cabinet member for housing, told Cllr Beadrsworth that she “arrived a day late and a dollar short” to the issue.

A labour bill seeking royal assent for an immediate ban on no-fault evictions was voted down by the government at committee stage, just days before on November 28. This resigned the government’s four-year-old promise to stop landlords from evicting tenants with no reason back to an uncertain and indefinite fate.

The government announced that the ban on section 21 evictions cannot be implemented until a series of improvements are made to the court system. No specified time frame has been given for these changes, or any insight into how long the reform will be delayed for.

“No matter what we think about the effect of that decision it is a decision that’s already been taken and therefore, in my view, it’s superfluous for us to write to ministers and MPs. It’s a no from the administration on this occasion even though we recognise the very real importance of the issue,” said Cllr Brown.

Ministry of Justice data revealed that the number of Section 21 no-fault eviction court proceedings was the highest in seven years. The most recent homelessness stats found that no-fault evictions resulted in 24,260 households being threatened with homelessness in 2022/23– up by 23 per cent for the year.

Councillor Rosie Humphreys said: “I simply don’t understand Councillor Brown’s reluctance to write to the housing minister to express this council’s dismay at the bans being delayed indefinitely. It’s a missed opportunity and it sends the wrong message to our residents who are renting privately and living in constant fear of eviction.”

The council opened up a vote on the matter and the motion was lost.