Liverpool City Council – The sorry saga continues

The saga of Liverpool Landlord licensing continues unabated. This Council have been taken to the First tier Tribunal because it has now come to light that Liverpool have been operating a two tier application process, unheard of by any other local authority.

In essence LCC have issued Draft copy licences to some landlords which are true copies of the actual licences with start dates, while other Landlords have received undated copies which are not copies at all. I will not bore readers unfamiliar with the HA 2004, and the repercussions of undated drafts at this juncture.

The bottom line is that the authority in their pleadings to the Tribunal, firstly attempt to get the Tribunal to abdicate their responsibility and decline jurisdiction, thus letting the Council off the hook. The next point however is far more sinister. Liverpool City Council in their pleadings, state that not only does the HA not require a draft licence not to be a copy but that it should NOT contain a start date. This Despite Liverpool issuing licences to Landlords which have start dates. They are in fact arguing against themselves and seem well on the way to conning the Tribunal.

Perhaps the most shameful part of this sorry saga, is that s public official has been alerted to this shocking state of affairs, and rather than instituting an investigation, the Council have issued concerned landlords with letters attempting to silence them, Good Old Liverpool city Council. The authority have not only refused to answer the questions posed, but have stated that the questions have been answered, and that anyone who dares query this is a “vexatious complainant”.

This is the most appalling abuse of power by any standards, and off Course Good Old LCC are in the frame.

Don’t panic Readers. This is the same Council that was prosecuted and convicted in 2007 in the magistrates court for a criminal offence under the DPA. This is the same Council which again was excoriated by the ICO in May last year for their dodgy application forms for Landlord licensing, and readers this is the same council which drafted Landlord conditions in such a way that Landlords adhering to their Sect 21 condition would break the law with respect to the Deregulation act.

Still silence from a public official who rather than order an investigation, hides behind their internal whitewash “have your say procedure”.What a sorry state of affairs and what a wake up call with respect to devolving more powers to these useless bodies.

Larry

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