Should owners of empty houses pay more council tax?

Owners of homes left empty for more than a year should pay 50% more council tax, the leader of the council’s main opposition group has said.

It comes after Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet last month approved plans to set up a new group to tackle the issue of empty homes across the borough.

The group will have the power to take enforcement action in scenarios where an empty home is causing ‘significant concern’.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) Request, submitted to the council by the Plaid Cymru group, revealed 1,380 homes had been left empty across the borough for more than six months.

The request also revealed 272 homes had been empty for more than five years, with 102 having been left empty for more than ten years.

Calling for the 50% surcharge, Cllr Colin Mann, leader of the council’s Plaid Cymru group, said the council has been “slow” to address the issue “at a time when there are thousands on waiting lists in the borough”.

In total, there are 10,644 council-owned homes and flats in the borough, with 4,875 people on the waiting list as of November.

He continued: “In Cardiff – a much larger authority – there were 1,355 long-term vacant homes – less than in Caerphilly borough.

“While the establishment of a team to deal with the problem is welcome, it is also long overdue. I want to see Labour leaders getting a lot tougher with those who just leave their homes empty, often to rot, often causing huge problems for neighbouring properties.”

Cllr Mann said the council should follow the example of neighbouring Cardiff Council, which is charging owners of unfurnished properties left empty for more than a year a premium rate of council tax at 150% of the assessed band.

He said such a move would “greatly ease the pressure for so many new build properties” and suggested money could be used to retrofit these houses to make them more energy efficient.

South Wales East Senedd Member Peredur Owen Griffiths, also Plaid Cymru, said it was “disappointing that so few dormant homes have been brought back into use by the Labour-controlled local authority”.

He continued: “In the last 12 months, just five homes were brought back into use following the intervention of the authority.

“More than 100 homes have been empty for a decade or longer in the county borough. Many of these homes will have deteriorated significantly while the council adopted a light-touch approach.”

Mr Griffiths welcomed the council’s plans to address the matter but said it “should have happened a long time ago”.

Cllr Shayne Cook, who has been the council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for housing since November 2021, said: “As well as being an unsightly blot on our communities, long-term empty properties can also become a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

“In addition to improving local communities, the team will also link in with the council’s Housing Solutions team to potentially use some of these formerly empty homes to help meet housing need in the County Borough and prevent homelessness.”

In October last year, Plaid Cymru councillor John Roberts urged the council to double council tax on second homes – something which has already been done by councils in Swansea, Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire.