The chartered institute of environmental health has expressed strong approval for the recommendations of the report, published last week, of the Commons public accounts committee looking into regulation of the private rented sector.

The CIEH specifically zeroed in on the recommendations relating to local authority regulatory capacity and the issues surrounding historic lack of resource (both in terms of available finances and experienced professional enforcement officers) experienced by councils up and down the country. The institute pointed out that some of the recommendations would make it easier for local authorities to set up new selective licensing schemes (as currently only a minority of authorities use such schemes).

Tamara Sandoul, CIEH policy and campaigns manager said the issue of stretched resource/staffing capacity "needs to be turned around to ensure [tenants are protected] from dangerous housing conditions" and also that there needed to be "targeted support for local authorities who are not performing as well as others in terms of enforcement."