Last night, Cambridge City Council roundly defeated the Labour Party motion to cap shared housing in Cambridge.

The motion followed speeches from members of the public who had come to the Guildhall to address their concerns about the motions to councillors. They expressed their disquiet at the potential shortage of accommodation which might ensure if Labour restricted the number of shared houses, the unreasonableness of making ordinary families with lodgers register as HMOs, and the desirability of mixed communities.

I was first to oppose the motion, and you can read a transcript of my speech on Richard Taylor’s site, and here is a link to Richard’s recording of the anti-house share debate on YouTube.  Thank you Richard for getting an account of the debate on line so quickly.

Liberal Democrat councillors put forward an amendment to Labour’s motion, keeping the first few words which “the vital contribution that well-run houses make in providing homes for family, students, professionals and migrant workers” but dropping the parts about widening the scope of HMO designation and restricting numbers.

Lib Dems asked for an annual report to be brought to the council’s Community Services Committee detailing the number and type of complaints received by the Environmental Health Department in all types of housing in the city and how they have been dealt with, including the number of prosecutions.

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