The UK’s largest landlord licensing scheme has been scrapped after the government refused an application to extend the initiative in Liverpool for a further five years.

Liverpool City Council has required private landlords to secure a licence for their rental properties since 2015 under a scheme backed by both the police and fire service.

Properties have to meet fire, electric and gas safety standards and the council carried out regular inspections to root out rogue landlords.

But housing secretary Robert Jenrick has rejected the Council’s request to continue running the scheme for a further five years, according to The Liverpool Echo.

Central government approval is needed for any licensing scheme that covers more than 20 per cent of properties in a local authority area.

The Echo reports that 70 per cent of properties inspected in Liverpool have been found to be in breach of licence conditions, often because of electric and fire safety failings or cold.

The council took more than 37,000 compliance actions, issued more than 2,500 legal and fixed penalty notices and prosecuted almost 250 landlords.

Liverpool made up 389 per cent of the 460 per cent national rise in prosecutions between 2012 and 2018.

However, the council will no longer have the same powers to carry out inspections and enforcement.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “This decision is not only ill-thought through and short-sighted, it also puts the lives of some of our most vulnerable tenants at risk.

“This decision flies in the face of the Government’s tough talk on housing standards, particularly around fire safety in rented properties.

“Over the last five years our officers have come across people whose landlords are happy to take their rent while allowing them to live in appalling conditions with unsafe electrics, gas supply and no fire doors to protect them in the event that a blaze breaks out.

“The Landlord Licensing scheme has enabled us to create a team to be able to hit the streets every day and carry out inspections of properties and bring rogue landlords to book. It is not just about raising housing standards – it is about protecting and saving lives.

“This Government has already taken away £436 million of our funding since 2010 and is now weakening our power to improve housing standards for those who are part of generation rent to the bare minimum.”