Labour councillors have written to the Macclesfield MP to urge him to "make every possible representation" to the government and extend the eviction ban.

The letter from Macclesfield's Labour borough councillors to David Rutley warned that hundreds of thousands of people across the country face eviction as a result of the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The councillors said: "Unless the current legislation is changed, tenants will face uncertainty and financial turmoil, and with hundreds of thousands possibly being impacted it is essential that protections are put in place immediately."

While they welcomed the government's recent month-long extension until 20 September, the councillors wrote that the "uncertainty continues".

"In Macclesfield, access to quality housing is becoming an increasing problem, with many living in private rentals and struggling to make ends meet," the councillors wrote.

They added: "We are also deeply concerned that those who have lost their jobs or now face redundancy and have built up rent arrears will be thrown into further financial turmoil and uncertainty.

"Even if tenants have arranged payment plans to pay back arrears, these debts could mean that struggling renters face an automatic eviction. The reality is that some people locally face the horrific choice of paying rent or buying food."

They were also critical of the government for not yet banning "no-fault evictions", wherein tenants could be evicted without cause.

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David Rutley, a Conservative MP, has been urged by the Labour councillors to "call on the Secretary of State to further delay lifting the ban on evictions, scrap the unfair section 21 and cancel existing arrears caused by the pandemic."