Green Member Motion

This council notes:

1. According to the 2021 census, almost a third of all households in Oxford are private renters (32.2 per cent).[1] This has increased from 28.3 per cent at the point of the 2011 census, and is substantially higher than the national average of 20.3 per cent.[2]
2. In the year to September 2023, tenants in the South East of England experienced rent increases of more than 5 per cent on average.[3]
3. Studies have shown that Oxford is one of the most expensive cities in the UK to live in[4], with housing costs being the single biggest contributor to this.[5] 
4. A growing number of local authorities and leaders are calling for powers to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan[6] and Bristol City Council.[7]
5. The Scottish Government has introduced temporary rent controls, which will be in place until 2024.[8] Following this, the Scottish Government has stated it intends to introduce a new housing bill that would implement long-term rent controls.[9] 

This council believes:

1. Oxford’s spiralling housing costs are central to the cost of living crisis in our city, with private renters being among the hardest hit. Without making renting more affordable, thousands of residents in the city will continue to face staggering costs, be plunged further into economic hardship and be priced out.
2. Rent controls are far from a panacea - they will not fix the housing crisis alone or overnight. However, they are a necessary tool to transition to a housing system which puts people before profit. 

This council resolves:

1. To request the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Council publicly campaign for local authorities - including Oxford City Council - to be given powers to introduce rent controls. 
2. To request the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the United Kingdom informing them of the council’s position and request the government allow local authorities to introduce controls on private sector rents.

Councillor Lucy Pegg, seconded by Councillor Chris Jarvis, proposed the amended motion as set out in the briefing note.

On being put to the vote, the amended motion was then agreed.

Council resolved to adopt the following motion:

This council notes:

1. According to the 2021 census, almost a third of all households in Oxford are private renters (32.2 per cent).[1] This has increased from 28.3 per cent at the point of the 2011 census, and is substantially higher than the national average of 20.3 per cent.[2]
2. In the year to September 2023, tenants in the South East of England experienced rent increases of more than 5 per cent on average.[3]
3. Studies have shown that Oxford is one of the most expensive cities in the UK to live in[4], with housing costs being the single biggest contributor to this.[5] 
4. A growing number of local authorities and leaders are calling for powers to introduce rent controls in the private rented sector, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan[6] and Bristol City Council.[7]
5. The Scottish Government has introduced temporary rent controls, which will be in place until 2024.[8] Following this, the Scottish Government has stated it intends to introduce a new housing bill that would implement long-term rent controls.[9]

6.    That the trend of landlords moving properties from private lets to short term and holiday lets nationally is one that is impacting on large parts of Oxford as well, reducing the number of homes available for rent to families and house-sharers.

7.    That this trend is driven largely by the fact that even with the current very high levels of rent in the private rented sector it is possible to generate the same levels of income from a few days rental as a short term let as from a month as a privately rented property.[10]

8.    That the Government has consistently failed to come close to delivering the number of new homes required each year, with the most recent quarterly figures for planning permissions for new homes been the lowest since records began. Of even greater concern, the same report shows that the number of social housing units – the only genuinely affordable form of affordable housing – given planning permission has fallen by 24% since the previous year. [11]

This council believes:

1. Oxford’s spiralling housing costs are central to the cost of living crisis in our city, with private renters being among the hardest hit. Without making renting more affordable, thousands of residents in the city will continue to face staggering costs, be plunged further into economic hardship and be priced out.
2. Rent controls are far from a panacea - they will not fix the housing crisis alone or overnight. However, they are a necessary tool to transition to a housing system which puts people before profit.

3.    That the introduction of rent controls without the simultaneous introduction of powers to restrict the numbers of short-term lets is likely to increase the shift of privately rented homes to short term lets, further worsening the shortage of homes in Oxford.”

4.    The only real sustainable and equitable long-term solution to rising housing costs and increasing shortages of homes is a massive and sustained investment in new social housing, to provide genuinely affordable homes in all the cities, towns and villages where people want to live.

This council resolves:

1. To request the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Council publicly campaign for local authorities - including Oxford City Council - to be given powers to introduce rent controls.

2.    To request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Housing publicly support Shelter’s campaign for a new programme for the mass building of social housing, both nationally and in Oxford and Oxfordshire.

3.    To request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Housing continue the Council’s long-standing support for all measures to regulate and control the short-term let sector.

4. To request the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the United Kingdom informing them of the council’s positions, and request the government allow local authorities to introduce controls on private sector rents.