Let them have pets! Labour’s ploy to woo Generation Rent
For Valentine’s Day, a pair of love birds
LABOUR will today call for all tenants to be allowed to have pets, so those who do not own a home can still own a dog or cat.
The party will also pledge to work with landlords in an attempt to extend the right to disabled and elderly people who move into care homes.
Labour MP Sue Hayman said: ‘Recognising that currently for the majority of people under 30, buying a home is sadly less and less of an affordable option, Labour would seek to improve the rights of renters to own pets that do not cause a nuisance.’
Many landlords currently ban pets. Under Labour’s plans covering both private property and social housing, the party will ‘consult landlords on giving tenants a default right to own pets unless there is evidence they are causing a nuisance’. Labour will also work with care homes to see how they could accommodate more animals. The policy will be set out today as part of a 50-point animal welfare draft policy document, which also includes a ban on exporting animals for slaughter, an end to the badger cull and an expansion of affordable vet care for pet owners on low incomes.
Labour also wants to strengthen the Hunting Act to prevent illegal fox hunting, and enshrine the principle that animals are sentient in law as Britain leaves the EU.
Other proposals include a ban on imports of foie gras, mandatory labelling of meat to include slaughter methods, and requiring motorists to report accidents if an animal has been injured. The party also wants a total ban on ivory trading, and curbs on the fur trade and importing hunting trophies.
Mrs Hayman, Labour’s environment spokesman, said: ‘ From bringing in the ban on fox hunting to tightening the rules on the transport of live animals, Labour has always been consistent in our leadership on matters of animal welfare. Today we’re making proposals for real, long-term progress.
‘Our vision is one where no animal is made to suffer unnecessary pain and we continue to drive up standards and practice in line with the most recent advances and understanding.’
She added: ‘With new trade deals on the horizon and the UK no longer subject to EU-wide rules on animal welfare, we want to ensure there is a comprehensive legislative agenda in place so that the UK becomes a world leader on animal rights.’
The proposals are backed by the League Against Cruel Sports, conservation charity WWF and Compassion in World Farming. But Tory MP Steve Double said Labour is ‘belatedly playing catch-up with the huge progress made by this government on animal welfare’.
Landlords last night raised concerns about Labour’s pets policy. David Smith of the Residential Landlords Association said: ‘The proposal raises a number of questions which we will work constructively with the Labour Party to address.
‘Will landlords be able to charge higher deposits to reflect the increased risks of damage to a property where pets are allowed?
‘Will insurance premiums increase for landlords to reflect the greater risk of allowing pets to be kept as a default position? What happens in shared homes and blocks of flats where one or more of the tenants do not want, or are allergic to, a pet?
‘Labour will need to respond ... if landlords are to have confidence in this suggested policy.’
Richard Lambert of the National Landlords Association said: ‘You can’t take a blanket approach to keeping or refusing pets. The NLA has consistently supported schemes that encourage landlords to take on pet owners.’
He warned that high-rise flats or those without gardens may not be suitable for keeping some animals, nor beneficial to their welfare.
‘You can’t take a blanket approach’