Issue - meetings

Questions Submitted Under Council Procedure Rule 10

Meeting: 17/07/2019 - Council (Item 19)

Questions Submitted Under Council Procedure Rule 10

By Councillor Parker to Councillor D Birch, Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Housing

 

“What is the current number of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) operating in Bracknell Forest and does the Council have an approved, publicly available HMO strategy to manage the development of HMOs?”

Minutes:

Councillor Parker asked Councillor Harrison, Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection the following published question:

 

What is the current number of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) operating in Bracknell Forest and does the Council have an approved, publicly available HMO strategy to manage the development of HMOs?

 

In response Councillor Harrison stated that there were currently 75 properties which had been licensed as Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) in the Bracknell Forest Council area. A further 50 properties were currently going through the licensing process.  Within the Bracknell Forest area that was about 0.0025% of the total number of the dwellings. He confirmed that there was not a HMO strategy as responsibility for HMOs crossed a number of departments within the Council, with the elements of licensing, development control and enforcement being embedded in the relevant team’s strategy, business plan or guidance notes. Therefore, at present, there has been no need to have a single strategy to cover HMOs, as the departments work well together to co-ordinate good housing across the Borough. He explained there was further technical details about the various strategies which he would follow up with Councillor Parker by email and that a report from an Overview and Scrutiny Task and Finish Group was also due soon.

 

Councillor Parker asked a supplementary question about whether an article four directive had been considered as an appropriate response as HMOs were a real challenge in a number of wards in the borough. Councillor Harrison acknowledged that he was new to the portfolio and he would have to investigate that option before commenting further. He added that he would circulate the contact details for the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) so that Councillors could contact them directly if they had concerns about enforcement issues relating to HMOs in their ward.


 

Contact Information

Democratic services

Email: committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk