City Hall is seeking more powers over multiple occupation houses
Law hindering us tackling Holyland issues: councillors
BELFAST councillors are calling for more powers over houses in multiple occupation (HMOS) to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Holyland student area.
One said the lack of powers had left him like a “nodding dog for poor legislation”.
Holyland residents are angry over repeated house parties and disorder as St Patrick’s Day looms.
HMOS make up around 45% of properties in the area.
As of April 2019 all HMOS must be licensed, with councils given responsibility for the scheme.
It has emerged, however, while councils have power to decline new applications, they can’t turn down the renewal of licences.
HMOS have become increasingly controversial, with some arguing they negatively affect communities, causing overcrowding and anti-social behaviour.
The issue was raised during a meeting of Belfast City Council’s licensing committee on Wednesday. Committee deputy chair Michael Collins said he was “very concerned” about the situation and parties wanted the legislation changed to give the council more control.
“Because we have such a high saturation of HMOS in areas like Botanic, if we want to stick to our criteria, we will eventually have to stop renewing these licences. At the moment we are being hamstrung with legislation and, let’s be honest, landlords have proved time and time again that they will pick and choose which laws to follow,” he said.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Brian Smyth, also a licensing committee member, said the situation was a “quagmire”.
“The legislation is just awful. It’s not fit for purpose. It puts too much power in the hands of landlords,” he said.
“The residents do not have a voice, long-term communities are being left abandoned.
“The issues in the Holyland... we’re actually looking at them spreading outward, particularly with the expansion of the university down by York Street.”
Mr Smyth said there needed to be a balance.
“We’re fighting with two hands tied behind our back, never mind one,” he added.
“Council officers are doing a really good job, but they’re under-resourced.
“The Holyland was always seen as an issue around St Paddy’s Day, but talk to the police, it’s a year-round problem. Throw in Covid and it’s just a dog’s dinner.
“We’re the ones getting it in the neck from residents, and I don’t mind that, but we as councillors have no power to effect change in this regard.
“As councillors we are legally responsible for the management of HMOS, but we need powers to deal with the over-provision of HMOS. Right now? I’m just a nodding dog for poor legislation.”
The Department for Communities said a review of the legislation was under way and it was studying more than 200 written responses.
It added: “Following an invite from Belfast City Council to discuss the legislation, the department advised that a senior housing official was available to meet.
“The council has not yet arranged this meeting. Separately, the department has offered to attend BCC licensing committee to brief them on the HMO review when all the responses to the survey have been received and we have had adequate time to analyse them.”
IS it a biscuit? Is it a cake? No, it’s a fusion of the two sweet favourites loved by us all.
Genesis Home Bakery in Magherafelt worked with one of its main supermarket customers on developing the decadent treat.
The Biscake, now trademarked by Marks & Spencer, is following a recent trend in baking for hybrid treats. As any self-respecting bun-lover knows, the trailblazer was New York’s Dominique Ansel Bakery, which married the doughnut and croissant to create the Cronut. And M&S has already created the Yumnut, another spin-off from the versatile doughnut, this time with the Yum Yum.
A spokesman for Genesis Bakery said the Biscake was already creating excitement among customers, adding: “There’s been a huge buzz, and we’ve been really proud of people saying right across the UK saying how excited they are about something which has come from a bakery in Magherafelt.”
The Biscake is predominantly made of cake resting on a biscuit base, and is being classed as a cake for tax purposes. That will mean it will not find itself in a legal battle like the Jaffa Cake, which provoked a legal storm over whether it would be classified as biscuit or cake. Ultimately it was deemed cake as it hardens when left in the air — unlike a biscuit, which goes soft.
The products come in three flavours — chocolate chip, cherry cakewell and the lemon meringue-a-tang. Each product has a different biscuit with the cupcake crowning glory described as “fluffy, light and decadent” with a hand-piped decoration.
Genesis was founded by the Mcerlain family in 1968 but went into administration 50 years later. It was rescued by entrepreneur Paul Allen, a former head of Tayto Group.
Philip Conlon, head of region for M&S in Northern Ireland, said the new creation was “a credit to the new product development team at Genesis Bakery who work hard to produce the most innovative and great tasting products using the best ingredients, many of which are sourced locally”.