Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Public Health and Regulatory Services Group Manager providing an update on the progress of the Empty Homes Plan.

The Group had before it, and NOTED, a report * from the Public Health and Regulatory Services Group Manager providing it with an update on the progress of the Empty Homes Plan.

The Lead Officer for Private Sector Housing informed the Group that since the report had been published with the agenda, the number of properties brought back into use up until the end of February had risen from 111 to 122. This was against a target figure of 25 and as a result the target would be increased to 72 properties for the next two years.

Brief discussion took place with regard to:

·         Revenue income being available to the Council generated from the New Homes Bonus (NHB) as all properties brought back into use might be able to qualify for the NHB.

·         Generally landlords were very co-operative and there had not been a need to instigate any enforcement action thus far.

·         Empty homes were spread throughout the district and were not just concentrated in the three largest towns.

·         An updated Empty Homes Plan would be brought before this Group in due course and this would include a listing of exactly where the empty properties currently were (although it was stated that this did go out of date very quickly).

Note: * Report previously circulated; copy attached to the signed minutes.