Two Burnley areas will see selective licensing schemes extended

The previous five-year schemes in Burnley Wood and Healey Wood, and the Leyland Road areas of the town, expired at the end of last year.

While there was an improving picture in both designations areas, Burnley Council decided to extend the areas for another five as not continuing with selective licensing at this stage would present a risk that the improvements seen will not be sustained or built on without new selective licensing designations in place.

The decision required approval from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities which has now come through.

The council has been operating selective licensing in parts of the borough since October 2008, as part of a wider housing regeneration strategy. The aim is to support landlords and tenants and improve housing management in the private rented sector to help tackle issues such as falling house prices, anti-social behaviour, and general deprivation.

Both areas have seen a fall in the number of housing disrepair complaints received by the council, improvements to property and area security measures, and a decrease in empty houses. There was also a fall in ASB and environmental crime, and a rise in average house prices.

Clare Jackson, the council's private sector housing manager, said: “Through a combination of initiatives including selective licensing we have started to see improvements in these areas, the continuation of selective licensing from July 2022 allows us to build upon these improvements and continue to support residents and good landlords in the areas”.