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Decision details

Empty Homes

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

At the meeting of the Environment and Housing Management Committee on 7th December 2016, Members resolved to request a report outlining the powers, measures and the associated costs that can be taken to effectively reduce the number of empty homes in the Borough.  

 

The report sought to outline the powers available and to give an indication of likely costs and recommended actions for Member approval. 

 

Cllr Hossack MOVED and Cllr Poppy SECONDED the recommendations in the report. 

 

Cllr Tumbridge MOVED and Cllr Cloke SECONDED an AMENDMENT to recommendation 2.3: To identify and prioritise the current properties which have been empty for over 2 years in the Borough and to approve initial contact with owners to seek resolution and initial contact be approved by the Chairman in contact with Officers and for examples of that content to be brought back to the report created by recommendations 2.1 and 2.2. 

 

A vote was taken on a show of hands and the AMENDMENT was CARRIED. 

 

A vote was taken by a show of hands  and it was RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

 

2.1To produce a skeleton Empty Homes Strategy to provide direction of travel.

 

2.2To produce a business case for i) in-house services, ii) a stand alone position, iii) team working – General Fund. 

 

2.3To identify and prioritise the current properties which have been empty for over 2 years in the Borough and to approve initial contact with owners to seek a resolution and initial contact be approved by the Chairman in contact with Officers and for examples of that content to be brought back to the report created by recommendations 2.1 and 2.2.   

 

2.4To seek to recover costs of enforcement action where possible. 

 

Reasons for recommendations

To ensure that effective action was taken to reduce the number of empty homes in the Borough within existing resources where possible. 

 

To seek to ensure that the costs of enforcement action was recovered where possible. 

Report author: David Carter

Publication date: 16/03/2017

Date of decision: 09/03/2017

Decided at meeting: 09/03/2017 - Environment and Housing Management Committee

Accompanying Documents: