Cheshire East Council should consider increasing the council tax rate on empty homes to help boost its coffers and help the housing crisis, a councillor has said.
Cheshire East currently charges the full amount of council tax for properties that are empty for between one and five years, 200% for those empty between five and 10 years and 300% for any that have been vacant for more than 10 years.
Conservative group leader Stewart Gardiner told the finance sub-committee: “I was rather interested to read the percentages we charge for empty properties.
“I think perhaps we should be reviewing that.
“I do know that authorities not so many miles from here have charges significantly more for two to five years than we are currently charging.”
He said hiking up the charge would have two effects.
“It will assist with our revenue, but it also will serve to reduce the number of empty properties we have in the borough and, given there’s a need for additional housing, it does make sense to find some way of encouraging people to bring those properties back into use,” said the Knutsford councillor.
Cllr Gardiner also said Cheshire East needs to assess whether it can afford its council tax support scheme in its current form and whether foster carers should be exempt from paying.
“I would very much like to know exactly how much that is costing us because I anticipate that, with inflation and more people being caught in potential difficulty in meeting their council tax demands, we might find that we’ve got to review that, exactly who it is we’re helping and how much the cost has been in recent years.
“Is it something we can continue to afford?”
Foster carers and care leavers are exempt from paying council tax in Cheshire East, although this is not a national policy. Cheshire East introduced the exemption a decade ago.
Cllr Gardiner said: “With regards to foster carers, I know they deliver an excellent service that we all require, but they are paid to provide that service.”
He said the council tax exemption was an incentive to encourage people to foster, but added: “Is it something we can afford?”
(Story by Belinda Ryan, local democracy reporter)
To be honest, I think this makes sense.
If you have a spare home you have the money to pay a higher rate.
Empty homes should be charged the maximum as soon a possible. This will greatly benefit the local area. And if more of the house end up sold, maybe less will be needed to be built!!!
If CEC didn’t waste money on carbuncles or staff dishwashers, then perhaps they wouldn’t need to increase vacant property rates AND start using rate payers money more wisely.