Issue - meetings

Councillor D Wright, Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing, Transport & Infrastructure, presented the report of the Director: Housing, Employment & Infrastructure.

The report built on the Council’s Housing Strategy and focussed specifically on empty properties. It introduced the Council’s strategy to address long-term empty properties by providing a new framework for bringing such properties back into use across the Borough. It set the challenge to bring 375 long-term empty properties back into use over the lifetime of the strategy.

There would be a range of support and assistance measures to enable owners to refurbish, let, or dispose of properties, but there were also enforcement measures included within the strategy. Through Telford & Wrekin Homes, part of NuPlace, the Council could acquire or take on management of appropriate properties for rent to meet local housing needs. These interventions were designed to influence the market and meet affordable housing needs.

The Authority was keen to intervene at the correct time to prevent properties falling into the hands of rogue landlords.

£1 million would be allocated to the strategy to bring the numbers of long term empty numbers down, tackling the blight that they wrought upon communities.

Members welcomed the report and acknowledged the necessity of tackling long-term empty housing to combat anti-social behaviour in communities and to provide for the Borough’s housing needs.

The Leader of the Conservative Group welcomed the report and noted that the 375 home target was ambitious given the timescale. The Leader of the Liberal Democrat/Independent Group also welcomed the proposals.

In response, the Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing, Transport & Infrastructure acknowledge the target was challenging stating that it was important to set such a challenge.

RESOLVED – that Cabinet

a)         Approve and adopt the Council’s Empty Property Strategy 2021-2026.

b)        Recommend to Full Council a new allocation of £1m prudential borrowing in 2021/22 to support the Empty Property Strategy, with delegation to allocate this funding to the Director, Housing, Employment & Infrastructure in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economy, Housing, Transport & Infrastructure and the Director, Finance & H.R, and associated changes are made to the Capital Programme.