Sandwell's "Socialist Firebrand" Landlord?

Labour Councillor John Edwards is always parading his "left-wing" credentials. He has no truck with private landlords being a great supporter of rent controls as these Tweets show:

Cllr John Edwards ‏@JohnEdwards33  16 Jan 2013

# PMQ's 'No Private Sector Rent Controls' says call-me-Dave. So tenants with rent-benefit cuts thrown to the wolves again by the Tories.

Cllr John Edwards ‏@JohnEdwards33  Jan 30

@CllrSBurrell Yes, private sector rent controls are the answer to rip-off private landlords (who own 30% of RTB homes). I'm sure you agree?

Happily, John Edwards owns his own house in Wednesbury outright but also co-owns 31 The Hub, Oldbury with a Delia Edwards of Worcester (presumably a relative) which they bought in November, 2011 as a new-build. I am not sure if it was rented out straight away but the Zoopla website shows that the two-bedroom flat was last up for rent via Redstones in November, 2012 at a mere £550 pcm. The current rent is estimated as far more on the website but Cllr Edwards has, no-doubt, applied self-imposed "rent control".

Not only did the estate agents demand an admin fee for the tenancy but also specifically specified:

"No DSS". (Taken from the actual document).

Right on, comrade!

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