Agenda item

NOTICE OF MOTIONS

In accordance with Standing Orders, the following motions have been received for consideration:

 

(1)       Renters Rights Act 2025

 

To be moved by Councillor Jackie Hollywell

 

This Council welcomes the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — long-overdue reform that finally puts renters’ rights first. The Act, coming into force in May 2026, ends “no-fault” Section 21 evictions, creates open-ended periodic tenancies, strengthens repair standards, and gives renters clearer routes to challenge unfair rent increases.

 

For the estimated 5,000 households who privately rent in Stevenage, this legislation means real security: no more being pushed out of their homes with two months’ notice, no more landlords dodging their responsibilities, and no more uncertainty about the basics — safe homes, fair rents, and predictable tenancies.

Since 1980, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of social housing in Stevenage and the UK.  A significant number of those homes are now owned by private landlords and the residents pay higher rents with fewer rights than they would have had as social housing tenants.

 

Labour councillors have consistently argued for these changes, and the Act finally delivers many of the reforms for which renters have waited years, including:

 

  • Abolition of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and the move to periodic tenancies, giving renters more stability and choice.
  • Stronger legal duties on landlords to maintain homes, tackle hazards and carry out timely repairs.
  • Limits on advance rent and fees, so renters are not forced into financial insecurity simply to secure a home.
  • A clear right to request pets, with landlords needing a good reason to refuse.
  • New enforcement powers for councils — expanded civil penalties, better investigatory tools, and required reporting of enforcement activity.
  • A national landlord database, improving transparency and helping councils tackle criminal and rogue landlords.

 

This Council resolves to:

 

  1. Actively promote renters’ new rights — making sure tenants know how to use them, how to report poor conditions, and how to challenge illegal behaviour.
  2. Set clear expectations for landlords and letting agents, explaining their new duties under the Act and what full compliance looks like in Stevenage.
  3. Strengthen the Council’s enforcement capacity so that we are ready from day one to act against unlawful evictions, sub-standard homes and non-compliant landlords.
  4. Write to the Minister for Housing, welcoming the introduction of long-overdue protections for renters, and suggesting that additional funding for councils will be needed to do justice to this Act and achieve the Government’s ambitions for renters.
  5. Champion renters locally, ensuring that Stevenage leads the way in delivering a fairer, safer and more secure private rented sector.

 

(2)  A Green Enterprise Partnership and Incentive Scheme in Stevenage.

 

To be moved by Councillor Wilkins

 

This Council notes that:

 

  • Forward thinking local authorities throughout the UK are providing incentives and encouragement for local businesses to introduce innovative sustainability schemes in partnership with industry experts.
  • Through this collaboration local businesses can reduce their environmental impact and reinvest savings in sustainability.
  • Central to this success is the GO GREEN scheme, the UK’s first green tax incentive for SMEs, funded by the Government’s shared prosperity fund.

 

This Council believes that:

 

  • Stevenage must take proactive steps to support local businesses in reducing carbon emissions to achieve net-zero targets.
  • A scheme similar to the award-winning GO GREEN scheme introduced by Sutton Council would strengthen the local economy, encourage sustainable practices, and demonstrate leadership in environmental innovation.

 

This Council therefore resolves to:

 

  1. Commission a report into establishing a Green Enterprise Partnership in Stevenage, engaging with local business networks, sustainability organisations and strategic partners.
  2. Investigate the introduction of a GO GREEN-type incentive, providing significant business rates relief to SMEs that commit to measurable carbon reduction plans.
  3. Develop a comprehensive roadmap for supporting businesses in transitioning to sustainable operations, including access to expert advice, certification schemes and reinvestment opportunities.
  4. Report back to Full Council within six months with findings, recommendations and an implementation plan for Stevenage’s own Green Enterprise Partnership.

 

 

(3)     Residents First: Protecting Family Homes and Community Cohesion in Stevenage 

 

          To be moved by Councillor Rob Henry

 

This Council notes that:

1.      Residents have raised concerns about the use of hotels and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) within Stevenage to accommodate people arriving via irregular migration routes and other Government placement schemes.

2.      The conversion of family homes into HMOs can place pressure on parking, waste services, community cohesion, anti-social behaviour management, and the supply of family housing across the town.

3.      Stevenage Borough Council has existing powers in relation to licensing, enforcement, and planning policy, including the ability to review and amend Article 4 Directions.

 

This Council believes:

1.      Stevenage residents should receive clear information on how temporary accommodation is being used locally and the impact on services.

2.      The Council should use its planning and housing powers to protect residential balance and prevent inappropriate HMO proliferation.

 

This Council resolves to:

1.      Publish a quarterly summary, open and accessible to Members and residents, outlining:

·         The number of placements made into local hotels or HMOs via Home Office or other external schemes;

·         The general type of accommodation used (hotel, HMO, other);

·         Any direct costs to the Council or local services.

2.      Write to the Home Office and other responsible agencies requesting routine, timely communication with the Council regarding local placements to support service planning.

3.      Undertake a review of existing HMO licensing and enforcement, with the aim of:

·         Identifying unlicensed HMOs;

·         Ensuring compliance with safety, amenity and management standards. 

4.      Amend or expand Article 4 Directions where evidence shows:

·         A concentration of HMOs is affecting residential amenity, parking or local services; 

·         Family housing stock is being reduced and community cohesion is or at risk of being impacted. 

5.      Update local planning guidance so that new HMO applications must clearly demonstrate:

·         Adequate room sizes and waste storage;

·         Sufficient parking provision;

·         Effective management arrangements.