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Issue - meetings

Long Term Council Tax Empty Property Premium Exemption of Proposed Demolition Properties

 

 

Meeting: 11/02/2026 - Executive (Item 464)

464 Long Term Council Tax Empty Property Premium Exemption of Proposed Demolition Properties pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Purpose:

To consider the removal of the Long-Term Empty Property Premium for Cottsway owned properties that are due to be demolished.

 

Recommendations:

That the Executive resolves to:

1.    Delegate responsibility to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Executive Member for Housing and Social Care to remove, where it can be shown this will expedite the delivery of new social and affordable rent homes, the Long Term Empty Property Premiums for the properties set out in the report and other properties for registered providers that meet the same criteria; and,

2.    Note that any removal of the Empty Property Premium is reviewed at least every twelve months to ensure that progress on redevelopment is being made.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Alaric Smith, Executive Member for Finance, introduced the item, the purpose of which was to consider the removal of the Long-Term Empty Property Premium for Cottsway owned properties that were due to be demolished.

 

In his presentation Councillor Smith made the following points:

 

  • Government had delegated powers to local authorities to incentivise property owners to bring empty properties back into use by introducing high premiums for Council Tax when they remain empty after two years. The maximum permitted increases to Council Tax premiums in such cases could be seen at section 2.3 of the report.
  • Cottsway Housing were undergoing a programme of redevelopment with some of their housing stock at Evenlode Close, Charlbury, Shakenoak, North Leigh and Spareacre Lane and Mill Street in Eynsham. These three sites were formerly sheltered accommodation which would be demolished and redeveloped.
  • It had seemed inappropriate to penalise the social housing landlord who had advanced plans to redevelop these aging sites and it was proposed to exempt them from the premium.
  • Despite the exemption the sites would be kept under review by officers and an annual update report would be submitted to the Director of Finance. 

 

The alternative option considered in the report was that the Executive could decide not to remove the long-term empty premiums already applied for 2025/26 or those due in 2026/27 from the properties of the three sites.

 

Councillor Geoff Saul, Executive Member for Housing and Social Care, seconded the item and noted that Cottsway had already redeveloped such sites in Chipping Norton and Witney and it did not make sense to penalise them for taking older properties out of use with the aim of redeveloping them for better use. In addition, Councillor Saul suggested that the money from the exemption could be used for such a redevelopment.

 

This was voted and approved unanimously.

 

RESOLVED:

That the Executive:

1.    Delegated responsibility to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and Executive Member for Housing and Social Care to remove, where it can be shown this will expedite the delivery of new social and affordable rent homes, the Long Term Empty Property Premiums for the properties set out in the report and other properties for registered providers that meet the same criteria; and,

2.    Noted that any removal of the Empty Property Premium is reviewed at least every twelve months to ensure that progress on redevelopment is being made.

 

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