Freedom of Information Request - Long Term Empty Properties

The request was successful.

Dear Sunderland City Council,

1) Can the council confirm their current number of Long Term Empty Properties as of the 8th May (those domestic properties which have been empty for six months or older)
2) What work is the council currently undertaking or planning to undertake around reducing their long term empty properties in 2019?
3) During 2018 did you undertake any work around reducing your Long Term Empty Properties. If you did was this done using internal resource or a third party?
4) If yes is the answer to question three, did the council review every single long term property
5) Does the reduction of empty homes in the council area form part of your Housing strategy?
6) Does the council have a budget in place to help support the reduction of empty properties?
7) How much did the council spend on temporary accommodation during 2018?
8) Does the council offer financial support /loans to Long Term Empty property owners to help them bring properties back into use?

Yours faithfully,

Jaya Ryall

Susan Fraser, Sunderland City Council

Re: Your request for information concerning:

Long Term Empty Properties

The Council aims to provide available information promptly and in any event within 20 working days, unless, exceptionally, there is a need to consider whether the information is exempt from disclosure.

I will contact you again soon in connection with your request.

Please quote the reference below if you contact the Council regarding this request.

Customer Request Number: FOI_801

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OCEFOI, Sunderland City Council

2 Attachments

Dear Jaya Ryall,

 

Thank you for your recent FOI request (FOI 801) in which you enquire about
Long Term Empty Properties.

In order to progress your request please could you provide clarification
around question 4, If yes is the answer to question three, did the council
review every single long term property.  When asked 'if reviewed' every
single long term empty property. Reviewed in what respect? To establish
that the property falls within the criteria for long term empty
classification, or something else?

 

I look forward to receiving your clarification, however I must advise you
that your FOI request will not commence until I have received it.

 

Kind Regards

Angela

 

 

Angela Miller

Compliance Assistant

City Development Directorate

Sunderland City Council

Tel: (0191) 561 7567

Email: [1][email address]

 

[2]cid:image001.jpg@01D0F491.5BB41C30     [3]oce20902 Supporting Equality
Logo Colour

 

[4]www.sunderland.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

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Dear Ms Miller,

In response to your question, by 'reviewed' we mean whether the council undertake a thorough review of each LTE property on a yearly basis to try and ascertain whether the property is now occupied.

Yours sincerely,

Jaya Ryall

OCEFOI, Sunderland City Council

2 Attachments

Dear Jaya Ryall,

 

I refer to your recent request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the Council does hold this
information, as detailed below.

 

1) Can the council confirm their current number of Long Term Empty
Properties as of the 8th May (those domestic properties which have been
empty for six months or older)

records from February 2019 are 2,866

 

2) What work is the council currently undertaking or planning to undertake
around reducing their long term empty properties in 2019?

The Council is working jointly with housing providers and partner agencies
to acquire long term empty properties to bring back into use as affordable
rented accommodation. The council offer advice, support and sign posting
to empty property owners along with offering financial assistance products
to facilitate the acquisition and refurbishment of empty properties.
Enforcement measures are built into the Councils plans to tackle
problematic empty properties and enforcement powers are used where
appropriate.

 

3) During 2018 did you undertake any work around reducing your Long Term
Empty Properties. If you did was this done using internal resource or a
third party?

Both - through internal resource and working with registered providers and
housing partners.

 

4) If yes is the answer to question three, did the council review every
single long term property

The LA Council Tax section visit all long term empty properties
(properties unoccupied and unfurnished for longer than 6 months) at the
very least once a year.

 

5) Does the reduction of empty homes in the council area form part of your
Housing strategy?

Yes, the reduction of empty homes is a key priority within the council's
current housing strategy

 

6) Does the council have a budget in place to help support the reduction
of empty properties?

Yes

 

7) How much did the council spend on temporary accommodation during 2018?

£56,223.17

 

8) Does the council offer financial support /loans to Long Term Empty
property owners to help them bring properties back into use?

Yes, in the form of loans and grant

 

I hope this is satisfactory. If, however, you are dissatisfied with our
response to your request for information, you can ask for the decision to
be reviewed in reply to this letter, however any request for review must
be submitted within 40 days of the date of this freedom of information
response. The review will be removed from the Directorate and coordinated
by the Council’s Information Governance Officer. A request for review
should be directed, by email to [1][Sunderland City Council request email],
by post or by hand addressed to; Information Governance Officer,
Governance Services, Civic Centre, PO Box 100, Sunderland SR2 7DN.

 

You are of course entitled to apply to the Information Commissioner at any
time, although the Commissioner will not usually investigate until the
public authority’s internal review procedure has been concluded.

 

Kind Regards

Angela

 

 

Angela Miller

Compliance Assistant

City Development Directorate

Sunderland City Council

Tel: (0191) 561 7567

Email: [2][email address]

 

[3]cid:image001.jpg@01D0F491.5BB41C30[4]oce20902 Supporting Equality Logo
Colour

 

[5]www.sunderland.gov.uk

 

 

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