The council in Liverpool is likely to propose a scaled-back private rental licensing scheme after its original suggestion was rejected by the government.

The Liverpool Echo reports that the original rejected plan was for private rental units anywhere in the entire city to be regarded as suitable for licensing; the new one will be smaller, although with 80 per cent of private rented properties still in place.

Mayor Joe Anderson says: “I have … been very clear that it is unthinkable for us not to have a landlord licensing scheme in Liverpool. All the evidence over the last five years shows that it has made a tremendous difference to the lives of our most vulnerable residents. It has forced rogue landlords to take action to improve electrical and fire safety standards, as well as dealing with issues such as damp and anti-social behaviour.”

He says the new smaller scheme would still be one of the largest in the UK.

Around 45,000 of the 55,000 homes covered in the original scheme would still be covered.

Two other options, which both cover smaller areas, are also being considered.