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Empty Properties National Assembly for Wales Final Report

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Empty Properties National Assembly for Wales Final Report National Assembly for Wales Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee Empty properties October 2019 www.assembly.wales The National Assembly for Wales is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people, makes laws for Wales, agrees Welsh taxes and holds the Welsh Government to account. An electronic copy of this document can be found on the National Assembly website: www.assembly.wales/SeneddCommunities Copies of this document can also be obtained in accessible formats including Braille, large print, audio or hard copy from: Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA Tel: 0300 200 6565 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @SeneddELGC © National Assembly for Wales Commission Copyright 2019 The text of this document may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium providing that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading or derogatory context. The material must be acknowledged as copyright of the National Assembly for Wales Commission and the title of the document specified. National Assembly for Wales Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee Empty properties October 2019 www.assembly.wales About the Committee The Committee was established on 28 June 2016. Its remit can be found at: www.assembly.wales/SeneddCommunities Committee Chair: John Griffiths AM Welsh Labour Newport East Current Committee membership: Dawn Bowden AM Huw Irranca-Davies AM Welsh Labour Welsh Labour Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney Ogmore Mark Isherwood AM Caroline Jones AM Welsh Conservatives Brexit Party North Wales South Wales West Leanne Wood AM Plaid Cymru Rhondda Empty properties Contents Chair’s foreword ..................................................................................................... 5 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 6 Background .............................................................................................................. 9 Engaging and gathering evidence ............................................................................................................ 9 1. Impact of empty properties on communities ........................................ 11 1. 1. Strategic approach ......................................................................................................................................... 13 1. 2. Wider community approaches ......................................................................................................... 16 1. 3. Linking to the Well-being of Future Generations Act .................................................... 17 Our view ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18 2. Bringing empty properties back into use ............................................. 20 2. 1. Empty property officers .......................................................................................................................... 20 2. 2. Local authority performance monitoring and data on empty homes ......... 22 2. 3. Legal expertise ................................................................................................................................................25 Our view ........................................................................................................................................................................... 27 3. Enforcement Powers ..................................................................................... 30 3. 1. Powers available to local authorities .......................................................................................... 30 3. 2. Are additional powers required? .................................................................................................... 37 Compulsory Sales Orders .................................................................................................................. 38 Our view .......................................................................................................................................................................... 40 4. Working with owners of empty properties .......................................... 42 4. 1. Providing funding to renovate empty properties ............................................................ 42 “Houses into homes” ............................................................................................................................... 43 Empty Home grant scheme ........................................................................................................... 45 Empty Homes Wales ............................................................................................................................. 45 4. 2. Working with owners to deliver affordable and energy efficient housing47 Our view .......................................................................................................................................................................... 49 4. 3. Data protection ............................................................................................................................................... 51 Empty properties Legislative background ........................................................................................................................52 Our view .......................................................................................................................................................................... 54 5. Council tax premiums ................................................................................... 55 5. 1. Impact of introducing a premium .................................................................................................57 Avoidance ........................................................................................................................................................57 Resources ........................................................................................................................................................ 59 5. 2. Revenue collected by the premium .......................................................................................... 59 5. 3. Increasing the premium ........................................................................................................................ 61 Our view .......................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Annex A: Consultation responses ................................................................. 65 Annex B: Schedule of oral evidence ............................................................. 66 Annex C: Letter from the Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government .......................................................................................................... 67 Empty properties Chair’s foreword There are around 27,000 private sector homes in Wales that have been empty for more than six months. We are all aware of such properties within our communities and the nuisance and blight they may cause. They can be especially problematic and damaging for people and local authorities alike. Not only do they attract anti-social behaviour, pose environmental health problems and contribute to a general decline in their neighbourhoods, but they are also a wasted resource. This is particularly frustrating when housing in is short supply. There are initiatives aimed at reducing the number of empty properties. These have brought some progress, but limitations and difficulties prevent them applying in all circumstances. Many owners do not wish to see their properties lying idle and should be supported to bring them back into use. When attempts to tackle the problem informally fail, local authorities have powers to deal with empty properties; but this isn’t straightforward. It is time consuming and there is no certainty of it being successful. Enforcement action should be a viable option in a higher number of cases. We explore some of the barriers and suggest ways to improve the processes to make this possible. Tackling the problem of empty properties can make a significant contribution to wider community regeneration; it can make an area more attractive and increase available housing stock. It is important though, to take account of individual communities’ needs and to ensure action is tailored appropriately. This report makes a series of recommendations, which I believe would make a significant contribution to reducing the number of empty properties in our communities. John Griffiths AM Chair 5 Empty properties Recommendations Recommendation 1. We recommend that the Welsh Government work with local authorities to develop a national action plan for tackling empty properties that sets priorities and targets to be taken forward, taking account of recommendations in this report. This should include specific objectives and targets for implementation. The action plan should be published by October 2020. ................................................................................................................................................................................ Page 19 Recommendation 2. We recommend that the Welsh Government, in its work
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