Agenda item

Empty Homes Strategy

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Hanson and Leytham)

Report of Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning)

Minutes:

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Hanson and Leytham)

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning) which sought approval to formally adopt the Lancaster District Empty Homes Strategy 1 (July 2013 – 30 June 2015) and consider the options available to resource this area of work in the future.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

	Option 1: Aim to continue a strategic approach to empty homes until 31 March 2017, and request Officers to consider how Officer support might best be provided/reallocated, for consideration during the budget.	Option 2: Aim to continue a strategic approach to empty homes until 31 March 2017, and request Officers to investigate how Officer support might best be provided/reallocated, and what potential exists to create a dedicated revenue and/or capital budget for long term empty homes (including any external funding opportunities), for consideration during the budget.	Option 3: Deliver the existing Empty Homes Strategy until July 2015 and discontinue the strategic approach to empty homes.
Advantages	Subject to budget decisions, the additional empty homes brought back into use would make a positive contribution to the overall housing supply and mix. The council will be fulfilling its strategic housing function by making effective use of existing housing, including empty homes, in order to meet housing needs. Empty homes work will contribute towards the Cabinet decision to engage in housing provision targeted towards affordable housing using a variety of methods. Empty homes work will contribute towards the strategic housing regeneration priority to bring empty homes back into use. Proactively identifying empty homes and the use of enforcement will send a strong message that the council does not tolerate empty homes, acting as a powerful disincentive to owners. Bringing empty homes into use will attract positive media coverage and publicity for the council. This is particularly important in the context of the Local Plan and meeting the district’s future housing requirements. Internal and external funding opportunities can potentially be identified and quickly responded to. The council can make informed decisions around the appropriate use of the different enforcement tools available.	As with Option 1 but some additional resources (if identified) would ensure the pro-active work through grants can continue if alternative external sources of funding are discontinued or could allow potential match funding for properties that require a higher level of investment. The exact level will be determined as part of the annual Budget Process.	No further council resources would be required beyond those already committed and budgeted for.
Disadvantages	Future funding would be required for a dedicated resource beyond those currently committed, and it is not yet determined how this could be afforded or whether it could be reallocated from elsewhere.	As with option 1 but additional resources may need to be committed which may impact on the council’s budget and future savings which need to be identified, even if more New Homes Bonus is generated.	The number of empty homes in the district could increase. The council would not be positively contributing or fulfilling its strategic housing function by making use of the existing housing provision locally. There could be more opposition to the council’s Local Plan proposals which will seek to significantly increase new housing supply to meet local need when the council is failing to deal with empty homes. The council will not be delivering against its previously agreed priorities. There would be a potential loss of New Homes Bonus. Negative media publicity. Loss of opportunity to benefit from future funding available to tackle empty homes. No regular monitoring of empty homes or relevant data being held and no targeted officer resources to initiate enforcement action.
Risks	Any empty homes officer resource is unable to return a satisfactory number of empty homes to use. Enforcement action may take longer than expected. Funding to support the pro-active work to bring empty homes back into use may be limited or not available in the future.	As with option 1 but even if further resources are identified it may still not be of a sufficient level to tackle the worst long term empty properties. Pro-active schemes require the co-operation of the existing owner.	Reputational and income loss for the council if the post was to be discontinued. May reduce the potential to secure future funding opportunities without the necessary officer resources. Impact upon the existing housing stock as properties continue to deteriorate, resulting in higher levels of capital investment required in the future. Could impact on other corporate priorities if there is more resistance to the Local Plan proposals if the council is not addressing empty homes.

The officer preferred option is Option 2 then Option 1. Both options may allow the Empty Homes Officer resources to continue until March 2017 in some form (subject to future budget setting processes and approvals) and may ensure that the strategic approach that has been adopted to tackle empty homes will continue in the medium term. Both options allow members to consider the extent to which the Council can commit resources to tackling empty homes along with the Council’s other priorities when the budget is set for 2015/16 and beyond, and at a time when there is more clarity about any other funding that could be made available to support bringing empty homes back into use given the circumstances described in paragraph 8.3 in the report. Under Option 2, if there is an additional budget made available to tackle empty homes, there is the potential to continue the existing partnership with Methodist Action with or without the benefit of central government funding, which would mean that the grant paid by the Council to Methodist Action could be fully recovered through a reduced rental income payable to the empty homes owner and the monies could then be recycled and rolled out for other empty properties.

Whilst Option 1 would allow consideration of officer resources, it would seem more fitting to consider a wider range of options at the appropriate time, as allowed for under Option 2. Furthermore, the role of the Empty Homes officer support could predominantly focus on enforcement instead of having the benefit of a wider range of approaches to tackle empty homes depending upon other available resources and funding opportunities. Option 3 would ultimately result in less action being delivered to tackle empty homes, with no specific resources available to tackle even the worst empty homes within the district and with all the associated negative impacts and loss of potential income outlined above.

Members have been provided with the draft Lancaster District Empty Homes Strategy, which has emerged as a result of having the necessary resources for its delivery and to formalise the current arrangements. This report details the many potential benefits in adopting a strategic approach to tackling empty homes, whilst acknowledging the necessary resources required. Should Option 1 or 2 be approved, then officers will review the Empty Homes Strategy 1 July 2013-30 June 2015 and prepare a revised document up to 30 March 2017 for approval in due course.

Action around empty homes has been widely debated and subject to close scrutiny both nationally and locally. Officers can report that at every Local Plan consultation event that took place in June 2014, members of the public raised questions about what actions the Council was taking to tackle empty homes in the context of the need for 12,000* new homes across the district (*figure from the Turley report which will be subject to further review), and the local community were furnished with very positive details of the activities and attention that has been given to tackling empty homes in the past 12 months. There would be a significant loss to Lancaster district not to be able to continue this very important work in the longer term.

Councillor Leytham proposed, seconded by Councillor Hanson:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

By way of an amendment, Councillor Barry proposed and Councillor Sands seconded:

“That Lancashire County Council be requested to consider making a contribution towards funding the post of the Empty Homes Officer.”

Members then voted on the amendment.

(3 Members (Councillors Barry, Bryning and Sands) voted in favour, 2 Members (Councillors Hanson and Leytham) voted against and 2 Members (Councillor Blamire and Hamilton-Cox) abstained) whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment to be carried.

Councillors then voted on the original proposition, as amended:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1) That the draft Lancaster District Empty Homes Strategy 1st July 2013 – 30th June 2015 be adopted.

(2) That Option 2, as set out in the report, be approved as the preferred option to take forward for further consideration during the 2015/16 Budget Process.

(3) That delegated authority be given to the relevant Chief Officers to bid for external funds in line with the Empty Homes Strategy, subject to them being within the Budget & Policy Framework, and the Empty Homes Strategy and ongoing need for supporting resources be reviewed during the 2017/18 budget process.

Resolved:-

(3 Members (Councillors Barry, Bryning and Sands) voted in favour, 2 Members (Councillors Hanson and Leytham) voted against and 2 Members (Councillor Blamire and Hamilton-Cox) abstained)

(4) That Lancashire County Council be requested to consider making a contribution towards funding the post of the Empty Homes Officer.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning)

Chief Officer (Health & Housing)

Chief Officer (Resources)

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision is consistent with the action to ‘increase the number of improved homes and improve access to housing’ identified in the Corporate Plan 2014-16 (Health and Wellbeing) and supports the Housing Action Plan 2012/2017 to reduce the number of empty homes within the District by taking appropriate enforcement action, developing an Empty Homes Strategy, pursue bids for funding and through council tax charging.

Supporting documents: