Worcester Liberal Democrats Reject Green Motion on Local Rent Controls

Worcester Liberal Democrats confirmed at last night’s (24 February) Communities Committee meeting that they did not support a Green Party motion calling for the Council to seek powers to introduce local rent controls.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Karen Holmes thanked the proposer of the motion while making clear the group’s position.

“I’d like to thank Alex for bringing this motion forward. It was thoughtful and clearly motivated by genuine concern for renters in Worcester. On that, we agreed. There is a real problem.

Too many people are struggling with housing costs, especially in Worcester City, which is driving some people to live elsewhere. Renters deserve a fair deal. Where we differed was not on the problem, but on the solution.”

The motion asked the Council to seek powers to introduce local rent controls. Cllr Holmes said that while localism is a core Liberal Democrat principle, so too is support for functioning markets, enterprise and increasing housing supply.

“The question is what ‘fair’ means when it comes to housing rent.

Nationally, Liberal Democrats have focused on ending no-fault evictions, strengthening tenants’ rights, extending tenancies, accommodating family pets and ensuring rent increases are predictable and limited. The Renters’ Rights Bill, due to be introduced in May, is the first stage move in that direction.

We believed that national approach struck a better balance than introducing local price controls.”

Cllr Holmes emphasised that the group recognised the scale of the affordability challenge but believed rent caps were not the right tool.

“We absolutely recognise the affordability crisis. But controlling prices was not, in our view, the right solution.

Evidence suggests that strict rent controls can reduce supply and discourage investment. When supply falls, renters can end up with fewer options and poorer-quality housing.

Worcester is not London. We need more homes, more rental properties and a strong local economy — alongside sensible tenant protections.”

She also noted the practical pressures facing the Council.

“Our officers are already required to implement the Renters’ Rights Bill. This will involve policy changes, staff training and ensuring councillors fully understand the new framework. We did not believe it was the right time to divert limited resources into pursuing additional local rent control powers.”

Following discussion within the group, Liberal Democrat councillors reached a united decision.

“After discussing this carefully as a group, we concluded that seeking rent control powers would represent excessive intervention in Worcester’s housing market at this time.

That does not mean we are complacent. It means we believe there are better, more sustainable ways to tackle the issue. For those reasons, we did not support the motion.”

Co-Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Jessie Jagger, added:

“We do not support rent controls in Worcester, and we are prepared to be clear and honest about it.

We support stronger tenant protections. We support predictable annual rent increases. We support ending no-fault evictions. We think Labour have taken appropriate steps nationally to protect renters, but any suggestion of going further is just madness.”

See Karens statement on You Tube below: