a)            Council Tax Discounts for Empty and Uninhabitable Dwellings

Councillor Fleming moved and Councillor Scholey seconded the recommendation from Cabinet, which recommended amendments to the level of Council Tax discount for unoccupied and unfurnished dwellings, and dwellings undergoing or requiring major structural repair.

Resolved:  That with effect from 1 April 2019

a)   the Council Tax discount for unoccupied and unfurnished dwellings be reduced from 100% for up to 3 months to 100% for up to 1 month (Class C of the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012);

b)   the Council Tax discount for unoccupied dwellings undergoing or requiring major structural repair be reduced from 100% for 12 months to 0% for 12 months (Class D of the Council Tax (Prescribed Classes of Dwellings) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012); and

c)   in accordance with Section 11B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018 the additional amount payable for Council Tax be increased from 50% to 100% for dwellings that were unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for more than two years.