Bitter row over bid to halt more student housing
ABITTER row has broken out in West Lancashire over proposals to halt new student housing in the borough.
Local party Our West Lancashire has promised to stop all new student developments through the Local Plan, a fresh blueprint which is being prepared for the area. The party says local families are being affected by the lack of homes, promising to stop all new student housing.
They have pledged six months’ additional council tax relief for student landlords to convert their properties back into family homes.
But the announcement has sparked anger among opposition Labour councillors and candidates at West Lancashire Borough Council.
They claim plans to provide a council tax break for landlords are ‘disgusting’ and that any cash to spare should be invested in supporting communities.
But, according to Our West Lancashire, families are being squeezed out, and there are already enough student residences to satisfy future demand. The number of houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) in Ormskirk ‘has continued to grow’ over recent years, they say, along with oncampus accommodation, with demand for HMOs in the town waning.
Blasting evidence supporting current policy regarding HMOs as ‘dated,’ Our West Lancashire said, in a policy document shared with LancsLive: “Continuing to increase HMO numbers further will move us toward an inappropriate mix of residential accommodation, and indeed, even the existing numbers of student properties has a demonstrable impact on the availability and supply of homes for local families and a noticeable downward trend in neighbourhood quality.”
Highlighting how they would work with student landlords wishing to return their properties to family homes by granting them six months’ additional council tax relief during the process, Our West Lancashire said on social media: “Evidence shows there is more than sufficient accommodation currently in place and in the pipeline. This applies to both HMOs and the purpose-built student accommodation in the town centre.
“A prohibition on further student housing in the next local plan scheduled to be in place in 2025 would still provide students with plenty of choice with ongoing excess supply avoiding upward pressure on student rents.
“Furthermore OWL would work with student landlords who want to return their properties to family homes by granting them 6 months’ additional council tax relief during the conversion works to encourage the conversion. As student properties currently pay no council tax, the costs of this are negligible.”
But the announcement has been dubbed ‘disgusting’ by West Lancashire Borough Council Labour candidates and councillors.
In a joint statement, Cllr Gareth Dowling, for Knowsley ward, Lancashire County Councillor Nikki Hennessy, who is standing as a candidate for Derby ward in the borough council elections, and Mark Anderson, candidate for Scott ward, told the Advertiser: “In relation to the Our
West Lancashire political party’s stance in this campaign, which is to give landlords a six month council tax discount – a tax break for private landlords – we find it, quite frankly, disgusting.
“Suggesting the council provides this tax break to private landlords during the biggest cost of living crisis in our lifetime and to fund it from West Lancashire Council taxpayers is beyond belief.
“Surely if the council has any money to spare, it should be doing everything it can to invest in our communities and in supporting the most vulnerable being affected by the current crisis, as Labour did by putting forward, through the budget in February, the £260,000 discretionary support fund for those most in need.
“We can assure you and the residents of West Lancashire – we will not be using council taxpayers’ money to bail out or increase the profits for private landlords in Ormskirk and West Lancashire.”
They added: “It really does make you question what the motives are and where the priorities lie for this party – is it for the residents, or for the private landlords and developers – as there is a very disturbing pattern emerging here. Labour councillors now and after Thursday’s elections will firmly oppose this crazy plan from Our West Lancashire.”
Local landlord Jamie Thompson, 53, of Burscough, recently said: “Please remember there is a massive contingent of medical students at Edge Hill and Ormskirk should be proud of what it is achieving; the vast majority of students in Ormskirk are professionals in the making.
“We should be counting ourselves lucky that the town is vibrant and forward looking... we are lucky to have Edge Hill and its students.”
A spokesperson for Our West Lancashire said in response to the criticisms that the policy would mean revenues were likely to rise as student homes attracted no council tax while family homes, once converted, did.
An Edge Hill University spokesperson said: “The total number of students at Edge Hill University can be obtained from the Higher Education Statistical Agency Student Record.
“For 2020/21 it is 14,575, of whom 2,805 are studying part-time. The figure for 2021/22 is yet to be published, but is likely to show an increase on last year.”
West Lancashire Borough Council declined to comment on political campaigning ahead of today’s elections.