Renters and landlords will be allowed to speak in future Bristol City Council debates on rent controls and housing. The U-turn comes after several councillors were controversially barred from taking part in a debate and vote earlier this month on introducing rent controls to Bristol.
Around 16 councillors did not take part in a debate on rent controls during a council meeting on January 10, as they were either landlords or renters. The move was criticised as “concerning and bizarre”, and council lawyers have now decided to lift the ban in future.
Councillors can’t legally get involved in certain decisions where they could financially benefit, known as a “pecuniary interest”. But councils can make exceptions, with a dispensation. The values and ethics sub-committee on January 30 will likely grant a four-year dispensation.
Read more: Bristol renters barred from speaking in council debate on rent controls
A report to the committee said: “A number of councillors had disclosable pecuniary interest as either tenants or landlords in the [rent controls] motion, and were therefore unable to participate in the debate or vote on the motion.
“In the interests of ensuring that all relevant viewpoints can be expressed in such matters, there is a strong argument in favour of granting a dispensation to all councillors who have a disclosable pecuniary interest in land whether as an owner, landlord or tenant of public or privately owned property.”
During the debate earlier this month, Labour and Greens backed bringing in rent controls to Bristol, while Conservative councillors opposed them. The council does not currently have the legal power to introduce rent controls, but City Hall chiefs are lobbying the government to change the law and give them these powers.
Other measures agreed in the debate include the option of creating a rogue landlord database and a living rent index, so renters in Bristol could see which landlords have broken rules and what affordable rents should look like. A major change in the law on renting is underway in Westminster as the government is pushing through its Renters' Reform bill.
