Michael Gove’s Renters Reform Bill is “unenforceable”

Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s Renters Reform Bill has attracted the ire of Tory right.

David Frost described it as a “dangerous and counterproductive intrusion into private property” Marco Longhi, the back-bench MP for Dudley North, said the bill risked “removing the rights” of those who let out homes.

But according to some working in local government and the housing sector, as well as a few landlords, opponents of the bill can rest easy: after more than a decade of austerity, councils have neither the financial resources nor the skills, experience or manpower to enforce and implement it.

Councils will need additional capacity to support new levels of protection for private renters.

But even with extra money, the workforce gaps will still be difficult to plug.

Increasing funding won’t immediately conjure up thousands of trained, experienced staff.

The institutional memory and expertise of local government has been drastically curtailed since 2010.