Labour panicked into move to address poor rental housing in Merton

Local Labour move to address conditions in rental properties 'more evidence of panic' - Lib Dems

Liberal Democrats have tonight cautiously welcomed signs that at long last Merton Labour recognise that the mish-mash of planning and licensing schemes applied to local rental properties can't continue.

Three different licensing schemes with different rules apply to rented properties, in different and sometimes overlapping parts of the borough. Much of the borough has no licensing requirements for privately rented property at all.

Licensing of shared houses (HMOs) remains patchy, with large parts of the borough excluded despite safety and overcrowding concerns. Planning requirements for HMOs are also applied inconsistently, with stricter rules applying to properties in some places but not others.

Local Lib Dem councillors say that this leaves neighbours and local communities to deal with the fallout of poor-quality or inappropriate development, as well as noise problems and anti-social behaviour without support.

But in 2025, the first cracks began to appear when the Labour councillor in charge of housing responded to Liberal Democrat questioning at a cross-party committee setting out the requirements needed to make landlord licensing schemes consistent across the borough. Data provided at the same meeting revealed that where inspections of licensed properties have taken place, 60% required improvement notices, and a third of which remain unresolved. This is evidence - say Merton Lib Dems - that enforcement teams are under-resourced.

After discussions with council officers, Local Liberal Democrat councillors pushed for urgent action to address the issues at the Council's meeting in September 2025. 

They set out plans including simplifying the multiple landlord licensing schemes used locally, by instead extending a 'selective licensing' scheme across the borough. This would lead to a better quality of housing across the private rented sector, including in HMOs. They also called for stronger enforcement against rule-breaking developers. 

Disappointingly, but unsurprisingly, Labour councillors blocked the measures that would have improved the situation for residents. 

However, at the Council's Cabinet meeting on 16 February, plans were adopted to begin to look at some of the steps to implement the solutions called for.

Commenting, Merton Liberal Democrat Leader Anthony Fairclough said:

"We know that over decades Labour have massively over-promised and under-delivered on housing, letting families down, leaving renters struggling and turning a blind eye to rogue landlords and developers.

"In September last year, we set out practical solutions to fix Merton's housing crisis - a responsive service and better quality housing, ensuring that rule breaking is dealt with. But instead Labour opted to play party politics, voting down good ideas because they came from another group.

 "But as we're only weeks away from the election, Labour Council bosses are now rushing through vague plans to try to make out they are taking action.

 "Whilst it's good news that they are beginning to engage with the issues, residents are rightly asking: why have we had to wait so long for action?

"It just reflects the desperation of Labour Council bosses at the prospect of poor election results in May."

Merton Council has been Labour-controlled since 1990, except for 4 years in the mid-2000s, and has been described by Labour as 'one of London's most marginal councils'.