Decision details

(Report of Director of Finance and Transformation)

Further to Decision No D130130CAB, consideration was given to whether there should be any change to certain council tax discounts with effect from 1 April 2015.  The report sought guidance on which discounts might be amended and whether a premium should be charged on long term empty properties to enable views to be obtained from residents and partners in order to ascertain any unintended consequences.

Following consideration by the Finance, Innovation and Property Advisory Board, the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration resolved that:

1)         the following guidance be given for the purposes of obtaining comments from residents, Registered Social Landlords and private landlords:

            (i)  for the financial year 2015/16 and beyond, the Council is minded to reduce the period of the vacant and unfurnished properties discount to two months and to reduce the discount for uninhabitable properties and those undergoing repair from the current rate of 100%, for example to 50%;

            (ii)  the Council is minded to charge a premium of 50% on properties empty for longer than two years; and

2)         with reference to (1) above, the Director of Finance and Transformation be authorised to place relevant information on the Council’s website seeking comments prior to the next meeting of the Advisory Board.

In accordance with Paragraph 2, Annex 1 of the Executive Procedure Rules, the Leader nominated the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration to take this decision in the absence of the Cabinet Member for Finance, Innovation and Property.