Empty Homes

Some disappointing double talk here rather than direct action to empower councils to get tough over empty homes. This article tells us:

A government pledge to tackle the housing crisis by giving councils more powers to crack down on empty homes has yet to be implemented, it can be revealed, leading to calls on Theresa May to act urgently.

On Monday, as the prime minister unveiled a package of measures to boost housebuilding, the housing secretary, Sajid Javid, said ministers had already taken steps to tackle the problem of homes being left uninhabited.

He claimed local authorities had been handed the ability to charge more council tax for vacant properties, adding: “So we’re taking action on that.”

But the Guardian can reveal that the policy outlined in the Autumn budget, to allow councils to double the amount of tax levied on homes if they are left empty, has yet to be enacted.

The campaigner Guy Shrubsole, who runs the Who Owns England group, obtained an email from a government official saying the proposal “is not yet in place since it needs an amendment to primary legislation”.