Responding to the Department of Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) intention to introduce additional legislation for the licensing of private rented properties, Richard Lambert, chief executive officer at the National Landlords Association (NLA), said: “The change in the legislation is welcome as it stops local councils introducing unnecessary borough-wide licensing schemes, without an evidence base. Instead it pushes councils towards resolving specific issues in targeted local areas by outlining the key criteria by which schemes should be implemented and judged. We hope to see this progress before the dissolution of parliament later this month.