Houses in Multiple Occupation: Planning Consent Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Wendy Morton
Main Page: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)Department Debates - View all Wendy Morton's debates with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Houses in Multiple Occupation: Planning Consent
Wendy Morton Excerpts(1 day, 9 hours ago)
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Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)
We are seeing more and more HMOs across Walsall borough and in my constituency, and it is leaving my local residents feeling that they have very little say on what is happening in their streets. Walsall council has worked on this. I welcome its new article 4 direction, which came into effect in October 2025 and is a much-needed step in restoring local accountability. However, the issue does concern me. The conversion of family homes into HMOs reduces the availability of affordable family homes and risks changing the nature of settled communities. There is also a growing fear and concern about the use of HMOs to accommodate illegal migrants or newly arrived asylum seekers, so once again I seek reassurance from the Government that, as those people are decanted from hotels, we will not see an automatic rise in the number of HMOs. The Government need to get a grip on this issue; a starting point would be a national assessment of the impact that HMO concentrations are having on community cohesion.
Underpinning all this is the fact that our communities need to feel that they are being listened to. I urge the Government to take note and take action.