Levelling Up minister Jacob Young visits Blackpool to see how £1.3m funding is being used to drive up housing standards

Levelling up minister Jacob Young has been given a first-hand look at how government cash is being used to tackle sub-standard housing in Blackpool.

The town received £1.3m of Levelling Up funding for a pilot scheme which will help shape new national legislation aimed at driving up housing standards including in the private rented sector. Rogue landlords who evict tenants when they complain about problems such as damp and mould will also be rooted out by the new rules.

During his visit, Mr Young was shown poor standard flats in the town centre before visiting a property in Banks Street under renovation by the Blackpool Housing Company – a council-owned company buying up rundown property, restoring it and renting it out at affordable levels.

He said he wanted to ensure all properties were of the kind of standard anyone would be happy to see their family members living in.

Mr Young said it had been “eye-opening” to see the difference between rundown flats and those which had been restored.

He said: “We are standing  now in what used to be a hotel but is now a five-bedroom home for families in Blackpool, and I think it is fantastic the council are embarking on this mission to make sure people in Blackpool have a decent home to live in that is safe, warm and up to a suitable standard.”

The cash has also funded enforcement action against poor landlords.

Mr Young said: “We embarked on a £1.3m pilot looking at the Decent Homes standard here in Blackpool and it has been great to hear some of the enforcement action the local authority has been able to take over the past year.

“Tenants live with a lot of insecurity, partly due to the existence of section 21 which is a no-fault eviction – the landlord can evict the tenant at any time.

“What we have seen is where tenants have complained about poor housing quality, landlords instead of addressing the issue have used the easy route of section 21, evicting that tenant, replacing them and pretending the problem never existed.

“We want to give tenants more security in the properties they live in. We want better landlords in the system. The majority of landlords are brilliant landlords but there are clearly examples of rogue landlords who we need to root out of the private rented sector.”

He added: “The reality is I have been to see some properties today which no one would expect their family members to live in and we have to root out bad practices.”

The minister said Blackpool had been chosen for the pilot because of the proliferation of poor properties as failing hotels had been converted into residential accommodation.

The first phase of the pilot scheme, which is due to run until March, saw around 150 inspections carried out. Visits to 76 properties found category one hazards, which are the worst conditions to be living in and include cold and damp rooms.

He added: “What has been clear to me on my visit today is the fantastic work the enforcement team are doing to make sure people are living in properties of a suitable standard. That we are  not having people living in Blackpool, living in properties we shouldn’t expect them to be living in.”

Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said: "We have shown Jacob some horrendous properties and then those which have been renovated to show the difference it makes to people's lives. We are talking about people's forever homes, without which we won't resolve transience issues."