Andy Burnham, the favourite front runner to become Labour’s next leader has been reported by The Sunday Times, that he will give all council’s the power to compulsory purchase any landlord’s privately rented properties, if they are deemed unfit to be habitable.

This is Burnham’s promise if he becomes the new leader of the party and Prime Minister in the 2020 election.

Burnham intends to deliver an important speech on devolvement and housing shortly. A keynote part will be handing over to council’s the regulatory power to seize landlord’s properties that are unfit for residential use, by issuing compulsory purchase orders.

He will also outline plans allowing councils to be able to borrow money to increase new home builds. Mr Burnham vows to remove the previous caps imposed on local authorities' borrowing by previous governments.

Mr Burnham said: “Over many decades, Westminster has stripped local town halls of the powers and the money they need to improve their communities.

“And the sad thing is this has not just left our towns to go downhill, it has also corroded trust in politics. People ask: what’s the point in voting if the council won’t act on our problems and turn our town around?

I will be the Labour Leader who changes all that.”