Issue - meetings

Review of Empty Homes Strategy

Meeting: 05/01/2016 - Executive (Item 492)

Webcast for 05/01/2016 - Executive

492 Review of Empty Homes Strategy PDF 153 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

The revised Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan be approved with the increased resources as detailed in the report submitted, to allow for the increased target and additional elements.

Minutes:

The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing submitted a report proposing the revised Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan for the period 2016 – 2020. He sought to identify the targets and actions that could be achieved based on the current level of resource and the additional elements that could be targeted with increased resources.

The Executive Member referred to the targets achieved under the previous strategy with the resources currently available. He suggested that a target of 10 properties returned to use each year with two enforcement cases formally initiated could be achieved.

However, an additional Empty Homes Officer (0.5 FTE) and an increase in the Assistant Empty Homes Officer from 0.2 to 0.4 FTE would allow the target to be increased to 14 properties brought back to use each year with up to 4 enforcement cases formally initiated. As a two year trial to demonstrate the increase in properties brought back into use, the financial implication for this would be £21,400 per annum to be funded from the transformation reserve. The Executive Member advised that this sum would likely be offset by increased New Homes Bonus funding arising from the return of the empty properties.

The Executive approved the recommendation now detailed.

RESOLVED – that the revised Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan be approved with the increased resources as now detailed, to allow for the increased target and additional elements.

Meeting: 17/11/2015 - Community Scrutiny Committee (Item 407)

407 Review of Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan PDF 153 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing submitted a report on proposed changes to the Empty Homes Strategy 2015 – 2020, the potential resource implications and a proposed Action Plan. The Empty Homes Officer explained the drivers for change, the numbers of empty homes and proposals for the new strategy, including the need to secure additional resources in order to increase the number of properties actively targeted.

Councillor G Cutting stated that while working on a recent leaflet delivery, he had seen homes still empty which he had first noticed over a year ago, and this had demonstrated to him the need for increasing the Council’s resources to achieve more in getting empty homes back into use.

In response to a query from Councillor J Jones regarding Members’ role in the process, the Empty Homes Officer welcomed Ward Members help in identifying empty properties. She explained the administrative issues which needed to be overcome in terms of observing Data Protection requirements and in sorting the information into relevant areas, but that these problems could be overcome.

In response to a query by Councillor D Oldridge, the Empty Homes Officer explained that most of the empty properties were privately owned and that her role was to tackle empty homes, although the loan scheme available could also be used for the conversion of empty commercial premises. The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing reminded Members of the Council’s powers to compulsory purchase properties left empty and in a dilapidated condition.

The Committee supported the proposed change in approach for prioritising and filtering empty properties for action. Members also supported a recommendation to the Executive that the Empty Homes Assistant post be made permanent and to ask the Executive Member to consider an increase in the resources available to Empty Homes to enable them to take on the additional work, as set out in the report and action plan.

RESOLVED - that (A) the proposed change in approach for prioritising and filtering empty properties for action be supported; and

(B) the Executive be advised that Community Scrutiny Committee support:

· the Empty Homes Assistant post being made permanent; and

· consideration being given to increasing the Empty Homes resources to enable them to take on additional work, as detailed in the report and action plan.