Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Housing, Councillor Johnson, introduced the recommendations of the Executive in respect of the proposal to adopt the Empty Homes Plan for 2022 to 2027.  The Plan set out how the Council would seek to achieve three key priorities, namely to minimise the number of empty homes through interventions, to maximise the opportunities for returning empty homes back to use through initiatives and incentives, and to maximise the effectiveness of enforcement action to bring empty homes back into use.  The targets set were realistic and had been based on what was considered achievable over the five years, recognising the amount of time each investigation took.

The proposals were welcomed by the Council and the Portfolio Holder responded to points raised during the debate before the Mayor referred Members to the recommendations of the Executive.

RESOLVED

That (i)    the Empty Homes Plan 2022 – 2027, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be adopted; and

          (ii)   the Strategic Director - Communities be delegated authority to make minor amendments to the Empty Homes Plan in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing.

Reporting Person – Louise Strongitharm

Councillor Johnson, Portfolio Holder for Housing, introduced the report which sought approval of the Executive to recommend to Council the adoption of the Empty Homes Plan 2022 – 2027.  It was explained that the Plan set out the Council’s three strategic priorities to reduce the number of empty homes in the Borough.  The Plan also detailed how the Council would work to prevent properties becoming ‘long-term’ empty and how it would bring back into use homes that had been previously left empty.  Councillor Johnson highlighted that an Empty Homes Working Group had been established in 2021, attended by representatives from teams across the Council, to discuss the top ten cases of concern.  It was noted that public consultation had been undertaken and the Housing Task Group had been consulted on the Plan.

Councillor Dorsett, Shadow Housing Portfolio Holder, raised a number of questions regarding the report, including availability of a Ward breakdown of the 729 long term empty homes identified in the report, the number of premium empty homes, the rate of empty home Council Tax premium, success metrics, and use of the Empty Homes Grant.  Councillor Johnson responded to the points raised and highlighted that the figures in the report related to October 2021.  Councillor Johnson undertook to ask Officers to compile a Ward breakdown of current long term empty homes for circulation to the Executive and Councillor Dorsett.  It was noted that lists of empty homes in their own Wards had previously been circulated to Councillors.  In regard to success metrics, it was noted that the Green Book set a target of 40 empty homes brought back into use through Council intervention per annum.  The Executive heard that the Empty Homes Grant had been very rarely used and therefore, it was proposed that it be removed for 2023/24.

The Executive welcomed the initiatives set out in the report to reduce the number of empty homes within the Borough, such as the Let’s Rent Scheme, and acknowledged the work undertaken previously by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the issue.  The Leader encouraged everyone to contact the Council if they had any information on empty homes given the desperate need for housing in the Borough.

REcommended to Council

That  (i)    the Empty Homes Plan 2022 – 2027, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be adopted; and

          (ii)   the Strategic Director - Communities be delegated authority to make minor amendments to the Empty Homes Plan in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing.

Reason:   To provide a transparent framework for the Council to bring empty homes back in to use.