People urged to provide feedback on proposed Selective Licensing Scheme as deadline approaches

The council is pursuing plans for a new Selective Licensing Scheme that aims to ensure homes are healthy, safe and efficient. A public consultation on the proposals is now due to end on Monday, September 1, and has already seen more than 200 people respond.

If it goes ahead next year, the scheme would last for five years and apply across the Nelson; Southtown and Cobholm; and Central and Northgate wards, as well as part of the Yarmouth North ward - an area of about 5,000 homes covering about 60 per cent of the borough's privately rented properties.

Councillor Paul Wells, Great Yarmouth Borough Council's portfolio holder for Environment and Sustainability, Waste and Licensing, said: ''Licensing would help us improve standards and ensure properties are managed properly.

''To make sure any scheme is effective, it is crucial we get as much feedback as we can. There may well be elements of the proposal that need to be finely tuned - such as the number of landlord inspections that would be appropriate - so we are really keen to listen to people who rent their homes privately, landlords, agents and the wider public to gauge opinion.

''We have carried out detailed research and looked at how similar schemes operate successfully elsewhere across the country and want to make sure any proposal we put forward is robust, cost-effective and delivers positive outcomes.''

The consultation is designed to be convenient for people to provide their thoughts in a variety of ways. And, as well as an online survey, there have been online focus groups and in-person drop-in sessions for people to ask questions and find out more.

To have your say via the online survey please see: https://have-your-say.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/selective-licensing-consultation

To make sure as many people as possible can take part, the survey enables people to answer questions by voice note. Hard copies of the survey can also be requested by emailing slicence@great-yarmouth.gov.uk.

Councillor Wells said: ''A significant number of privately rented properties are in a poor condition and we are determined to improve standards. Bad housing has a detrimental impact on people and our residents deserve better where there are problems. Most landlords want to provide good-quality homes, but sadly that is not always the case.

''We already have some powers related to housing, but this scheme would allow us to better tackle health hazards and overcrowding by allowing the council to systematically inspect properties to make sure things like gas and electric certification are up to date, rather than simply reacting to complaints as we currently do.''

If introduced, the scheme would not be allowed to make a profit and the costs of running it would be covered by a proposed licence fee of £784 for landlords.