City of Edinburgh's Coalition partners are delivering on a promise made after May's election by setting up an Empty Homes Task Force.
The proportion of unoccupied homes in the capital has decreased from 2.4 per cent in 2008 to 2 per cent in 2011 (below the 2.8% Scottish average), but in December 2011 there were still nearly 1,500 privately owned homes here which had been unoccupied for more than 6 months, 967 of them for more than a year. All this at a time when many (particularly young) people in the city are struggling to find an affordable place to live.
The new advisory group plans to address the problem by:
- assessing what information is needed by owners of empty homes
- using the new Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Act to vary the rate of empty property relief, i.e. increasing the amount of Council Tax payable (see Issue 209)
- bidding for some of the Scottish Government's Empty Homes Loan Fund to renovate or repair homes for use as affordable housing.
Membership of the Taskforce will include the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (run by Shelter Scotland), housing associations (Letfirst and Link) and private landlord representatives.
'There are many reasons why a home might be left empty,' writes Shelter Scotland's Kristen Hubert. 'Owners can have a sentimental attachment to it or they don't have the finances, the time or the skills to complete their plans for the property.
'Whatever the reason, bringing empty homes back into use has many benefits – it adds to the housing supply, contributes to local regeneration and supports community safety.'
Although the Taskforce does not have any real teeth of its own (it will report to relevant Council committees), it should concentrate expertise and attention on an issue which, during April's Council election hustings for the City Centre ward, elicited cross-party and audience concern (Breaking news, 26.4.12). To this extent, it seems a prompt and welcome response.
A report giving further background to the empty homes problem and more details of the Taskforce's membership and proposed remit will go before the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee on Tuesday of next week. You can read it by clicking on the file below.