Rotherham's landlords are taking their own action against the council, in light of the Enfield landlord's successful judicial review of their council's proposed licensing scheme. They are confident that they too will be successful in stopping their council's scheme in its tracks.

Rotherham council is planning to introduce a licensing shame upon its private sector landlords and is proposing that they should pay a 5 year licence fee for each of their privately rented properties costing £625.
 
The landlords have formed a retaliatory body under the name of the Rotherham Action Group, it has now warned the council its intentions of funding a potential legal challenge to the scheme, which the council are implementing in May. The licensing scheme will be applied in four areas within the council's boundaries.

The council is going to criminalise those landlords who do not apply to the scheme for a licence in the designated areas and those that do, could face further fines if they do not adhere to the licences' terms and conditions.
 
A team of landlords sent a letter to Eric Pickles, the government's communities secretary, requesting that he should examine the validity of the Rotherham's intended licensing scheme.

In the correspondence it contained the following: “........this decision [to introduce licensing for landlords] was not taken in the best interests of the local community and should be overturned.”
It also said: “The council consulted on the introduction of selective licensing at the beginning of 2014. In the summer the council found there was no need for the introduction of such a scheme. There was alternatively a commitment to greater cooperation with local groups to create a better private rented sector without recourse to discretionary licensing.
 
“We propose that the policy be over-turned by the commissioners .... Any final decision could then be taken by a new council in 2016, which will have a strong elected mandate.”