Report No. 148/2017 from the Director for Resources was received.

Mr Della Rocca, Assistant Director - Finance, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to seek authority to undertake a public consultation exercise in order to ascertain people’s views about making changes to the Council Tax empty home discounts and the Council Tax premium on empty homes that had been unoccupied for over two years.

During discussion the following points were raised:

1. Mr Della Rocca informed Cabinet that Local Authorities were moving away from council tax discounts and that neighbouring Local Authorities were undertaking reviews and consultations this year.
2. Any changes that were made would be implemented in April 2018.
3. If a resident was to move into a care home as their primary residence, they would be exempt from council tax. If it was temporary respite care the full council tax charge would still apply.
4. Mr Della Rocca confirmed that the full range of options would be included within the consultation and any potential changes that the Council could make were being consulted upon.
5. Any changes made could have a positive effect on the Medium Term Finance Plan (MTFP). If all discounts were removed then, based on 2016/17 figures, the predicted savings could be approximately £200,000; and
6. Changes to some discounts could influence behaviours, e.g. a reduction in discounts could lead to a reduction in empty homes.

DECISION    

1.    Cabinet APPROVED that officers undertake a public consultation on the Council Tax discounts and premium for empty homes as described in Report No 148/2017 and detailed in Appendix A to Report No. 148/2017.

Reason for Decision

1.    The empty home discounts and the premium had not been reviewed since 2013, given the financial pressures that the Council was facing and its desire to reduce the number of empty homes in its area, it was reasonable to consult the public on what it could change.

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Mrs Curtis joined the meeting at 10.03am

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