Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, sign up today to unlock exclusive content and be part of our community discussions
- Exclusive discounts
- Enjoy commenting on local issues
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
03
Sept 2023
North Yorkshire Council launches investigation into rising number of empty homes
North Yorkshire Council has announced a probe into why the number of empty homes in the county continues to rise.
Cllr Simon Myers, the council’s executive member for culture, arts and housing, said it was “distressing” that 6,500 people were on waiting lists for social housing in a county where more than 3,000 properties were standing empty.
An officer’s report to a meeting of the council’s leading members highlighted how at the end of June there were nearly 900 empty homes in the Harrogate borough area and more than 700 in Scarborough borough, while there were 500-plus empty homes in the Craven and Hambleton areas.
Both Richmondshire and Ryedale had nearly 400 empty homes and there were more than 200 in the Selby area.
The investigation comes as the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which is at the report stage in the House of Lords, moves to reduce the minimum period councils can charge a premium for empty premises from two years to one year.
It is almost a year since North Yorkshire Council adopted a policy to implement a 100 per cent council tax premium for empty premises that have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a year or more, from April next year.
The report added demand for affordable housing was set to rise as residents struggle with mortgage payments and rental costs, and fuelled by a forecast downturn in housebuilding completions, changes to planning policy, rising material costs and wider economic pressures linked to the cost of living.
The report stated:
Read more:
- Harrogate council to make offers on three empty homes
- Rise in empty homes adds pressure on Harrogate district housing market
After being pressed on how the council intended to bring empty homes back into use, Cllr Myers told the meeting empty properties represented some 1.1% of housing stock in North Yorkshire, while the national average is one per cent and the average for Yorkshire and Humber is 1.6%.
He said:
Cllr Myers said causes behind the rise in empty properties may include the economy, leading to properties not selling quickly, and changes in legislation leading landlords to take properties out of the rental market.
He said the authority was having to develop a county-wide strategy as some boroughs and districts had tackled the issue, going as far as compulsory purchases, some did not have a strategy and only Scarborough and Harrogate had designated empty homes officers.
Pledging to “get to the bottom of it and work out a strategy about what can be done”, Cllr Myers added:
0