Issue - meetings

Cllr. Paul Rowlinson to present the report.

To accept the report. 

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, Cllr. Paul Rowlinson.

Reference was made to the housing crisis facing Gwynedd, noting that the significant number of empty houses added to the current problems. It was noted that the management of empty houses was one of the main priorities in the Council's Plan and the Housing Action Plan. It was noted that the Council Tax Premium had been levied on houses in Gwynedd that had been vacant for 12 months or more, to encourage owners to restore the property and bring the houses back into use. It was elaborated that the Council offered a number of schemes that supported people to renovate empty houses to bring them up to a safe standard of living. It was confirmed that 123 homes in Gwynedd had benefited from the Empty Homes Grant. It was noted that this had a positive impact on the local economy through the use of local contractors.

It was confirmed that first-time buyers often received an exemption from the Empty Homes Premium for one year, to facilitate the restoration of the property. However, a Member noted concern about the Empty Homes Premium and the period of the payment exemption for one year. It was expressed that Gwynedd was a unique area where there was a vast difference between areas across the county. It was noted that sympathy should be felt with those who inherit a house as part of a loved one's estate, noting that the stress of selling a property could be distressing during a difficult time. Attention was drawn to the difficulties encountered by residents when trying to sell property in some areas due to the increase in house prices, and it was therefore noted that this should be considered when setting and implementing the policies.

In response to an enquiry on the number of second homes that have been renovated into homes, it was confirmed that the grant had funded the renovation of several existing second homes to an acceptable standard of living, which had provided homes for local people in the county. It was noted that the department had already achieved the target of bringing 282 empty homes back into use in Gwynedd, with 299 homes having come back into use as a result of support from the Council through the Empty Homes Grant. However, it was noted that 1,306 homes remained empty in Gwynedd to date, which reflected the ongoing work facing the department in Gwynedd.

In response to an enquiry about the number of long-term empty houses that had been empty for years, it was explained that the owners received correspondence from the department to encourage them to bring the property back into living use. It was confirmed that the department targeted areas where houses had stood empty for a while using figures from the tax department. It was noted that this was a fundamental part of the cross-departmental work being carried out by the Enforcement Unit, within the Housing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8