Government asked to devolve powers on rents to new GM mayor
Councillor Gavin White said Manchester could be a national pilot city(Image: Getty Images)
Estate agents line the streets in one of Manchester’s most affluent suburbs.
Walking down the ever-busy Wilmslow Road in Didsbury, it’s difficult to go far without seeing adverts for plush apartments or investment opportunities.
Prices in this part of south Manchester are at a premium, with some signs listed in shop windows offering places to rent for up to £1,500 a month.
You expect to pay more to live in Didsbury than other parts of the city. It comes with the benefits of being near buzzing cafes and bars, and easy access to public transport.
But concerns are growing in the corridors of power at Manchester council that problems of ‘stark inequality and affordability’ are making it harder for people to find homes across the city.
The number of people impacted by Manchester’s housing problems are enormous – 20,000 households are on the city’s social housing register waiting for a suitable place to live.
Government data shows average private rents in Manchester are becoming more expensive. According to the Office for National Statistics, average rental prices in Manchester hit £1,352 in May 2026, up by 3.2 per cent from 12 months ago.
This week Labour councillors in the city put forward a solution it believes could change everything.
“We are asking government to devolve powers to our new Greater Manchester mayor to develop limits on rents,” Deansgate councillor Marcus Johns said.
The call went further when Coun Gavin White, the lead on housing matters for the council, suggested Manchester could be a ‘pilot’ city for how private rent caps and controls could work nationally.
He said: “We call on the government and new Prime Minister to give the new mayor of Greater Manchester devolved powers to look at rent caps and controls for the private rented sector, to address the issues of stark inequality and affordability.
“We already have rent controls and caps in social housing, and the Renters Rights Act has begun to give powers for that, but we would call for further powers to be able to tackle that crisis head on, and we would welcome Manchester being a pilot for a national scheme to deliver this.”
A motion calling for the measures was passed in the council chamber after a debate.
“Manchester knows better than most the scale of the housing crisis, too many families have been denied the security of a decent affordable home,” said Councillor Sam Lynch during the discussion.
The idea behind the plan would be to put officials to work looking at how rent caps and controls could work in Manchester, ahead of a potential roll out elsewhere.
With Andy Burnham confirmed as Labour Party leader and about to become the country’s next Prime Minister, councillors in Manchester will soon have a familiar face in Westminster to pitch the idea to.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), a charity that leads research into poverty, believes that rent controls which limit rises at the lower of inflation or earnings could save the average renter in the north west £310 a year, or £450 on average across the UK.
Darren Baxter, principal policy adviser at JRF, said: “Calls for rent controls recognise that renters have been squeezed by unaffordable rents that take up too high a proportion of their incomes for far too long.
“Trapped in a cycle of high rents, financial strain and no ability to save – renters are often just one redundancy or illness away from a crisis. They can’t wait for the many years it will take to feel the impact of any new homes currently being built.
“Unaffordable private rents aren’t a given. Done right rent controls are feasible and should merit serious consideration from anyone concerned about the cost of living.”
The Town Hall and Albert Square, Manchester(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Calls for Greater Manchester’s next mayor to get new powers over rent controls have been backed by researchers too, who say local leaders should be able to ‘tailor’ rent controls to local needs.
“Across the country, rents have become increasingly unaffordable, with 45 per cent of private renters struggling – millions being pushed to the brink by a housing market that just isn’t working for them,” said IPPR North, a think tank focused on the north of England.
“This issue has been particularly bad in London, and now here in Manchester which has higher rents than the rest of the north west.”
IPPR has called for rent controls to be applied nationally as an emergency response to the rising cost of living and ‘global shocks’ affecting prices being passed on to renters from landlords.
It said: “Over the last few years, there has been a shift towards institutional landlords with more and more buy-to-let properties being built around Manchester, and fewer single-portfolio or casual landlords renting properties in the city.
“IPPR’s proposals for rent controls as described would benefit tenants in Manchester’s private rental sector; protecting them from sudden rent rises, rebalancing the market, and ensuring rent only rises with what people can actually afford.
“But with the incoming PM’s ambitions for further devolved powers to regions, we would want to see local leaders, like those in Manchester, have the power to tweak and tailor these rent controls to suit local need.”
Rent controls have long been debated as a way to curb rising prices and help tenants.
It would mark a huge change for renting in the country if introduced, and has been tipped by some to bring major benefits for renters if done right.
And if councillors in Manchester have their way, the city could be the first in line to have a go at it.
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