Long Term Empty Properties

The request was successful.

Dear South Norfolk District Council,
I am writing to you to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

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,

A McIntosh

Right2Know,

Good Afternoon

 

Thank you for your request of information which is being considered. You
may be aware that we have to respond to Freedom of Information (FOI)
requests within 20 working days and as soon as is reasonably practicable,
therefore you will receive a response by Monday 17^th June 2019 or
earlier.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions, which may
prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an
assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then some or all
of the information may not be released. You will be informed if this is
the case, including your rights of appeal.

 

If any of the information you have requested is not contained in a
recorded format, South Norfolk Council is not obliged to create
information for the purpose of responding to your request

There may be a fee payable for ‘reasonable disbursement’ costs such as
postage and photocopying. This will be considered and you will be informed
if a fee is payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the
information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for
responses is suspended until receipt of the payment.

If you have any queries or concerns then please let me know.  If you do
contact us again concerning this request, please quote FOI 19-259.

 

Regards

 

 

Chelsea Lee

Business Support Apprentice

 t 01508 533 866  e [email address]  

 

This email and any attachments are intended for the addressee only and may
be confidential. If they come to you in error you must take no action
based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone. Please advise the
sender by replying to this email immediately and then delete the original
from your computer. Unless this email relates to Broadland District
Council or South Norfolk Council business it will be regarded by the
council as personal and will not be authorised by or sent on behalf of the
councils. The sender will have sole responsibility for any legal actions
or disputes that may arise. We have taken steps to ensure that this email
and any attachments are free from known viruses but in keeping with good
computing practice, you should ensure they are virus free. Emails sent
from and received by members and employees of Broadland District Council
and South Norfolk Council may be monitored. 

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Right2Know,

5 Attachments

Good Morning

 

I refer to your Freedom of Information request to which I am now in a
position to respond. My response is outlined below along with your
questions for ease of reference.

 

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)

Council Tax Reply: As at 8^th May 2019 South Norfolk District Council had
474 properties, which include 70 attracting Levy and Premium Levy charges

 

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

Council Tax Reply: In March 2019, we wrote to all properties attracting a
Levy charge, advising them of the increased council tax rates. We continue
this notification process in order to both maintain customer contact and
ensure that our records are correct.  In addition, from June 2019 onwards
we will look to visit and contact each owner to establish the current
status of the property, their future plans and offer any suitable advice,
which enables the property to be brought back into use. If we identify
suitable properties, provide a conduit to the Housing Team, in order that
they can offer their help and support.

 

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?

Council Tax Reply: Between July-October 2018 the council tax team either
telephoned, emailed, wrote to or visited each of the LTE at that time. We
have undertaken this approach for the past 6 years and has been well
received by customers and ensured that our records are accurate. No
external source was used.

 

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

Council Tax Reply: See above

 

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

 

6)       Does the council have a budget in place to help support the
reduction of empty properties? No

 

7)       How much did the council spend on temporary accommodation during
2018? £34,118.10

 

8)       Does the council offer financial support /loans to Long Term
Empty property owners to help them bring properties back into use? No

 

I hope this is of assistance and is sufficient to meet your requirements,
but if, for whatever reason you wish to get back to me, please feel free
to do so. In particular if you are unhappy with the information provided
or how your request was handled please let me know and I will explain how
you can request an internal review of our decision. 

 

Please quote FOI 19-259 in any further correspondence concerning this
request.

 

Regards

 

Emma Goddard
Senior Governance Officer & Deputy Monitoring Officer
t 01508 533943 e [email address]  

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This email and any attachments are intended for the addressee only and may
be confidential. If they come to you in error you must take no action
based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone. Please advise the
sender by replying to this email immediately and then delete the original
from your computer. Unless this email relates to Broadland District
Council or South Norfolk Council business it will be regarded by the
council as personal and will not be authorised by or sent on behalf of the
councils. The sender will have sole responsibility for any legal actions
or disputes that may arise. We have taken steps to ensure that this email
and any attachments are free from known viruses but in keeping with good
computing practice, you should ensure they are virus free. Emails sent
from and received by members and employees of Broadland District Council
and South Norfolk Council may be monitored. 

From: Right2Know
Sent: 20 May 2019 13:05
To: A McIntosh <[FOI #576821 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request 19-259 - Long Term Empty
Properties

 

Good Afternoon

 

Thank you for your request of information which is being considered. You
may be aware that we have to respond to Freedom of Information (FOI)
requests within 20 working days and as soon as is reasonably practicable,
therefore you will receive a response by Monday 17^th June 2019 or
earlier.

For your information, the Act defines a number of exemptions, which may
prevent release of the information you have requested. There will be an
assessment and if any of the exemption categories apply then some or all
of the information may not be released. You will be informed if this is
the case, including your rights of appeal.

 

If any of the information you have requested is not contained in a
recorded format, South Norfolk Council is not obliged to create
information for the purpose of responding to your request

There may be a fee payable for ‘reasonable disbursement’ costs such as
postage and photocopying. This will be considered and you will be informed
if a fee is payable. In this event the fee must be paid before the
information is processed and released. The 20 working day time limit for
responses is suspended until receipt of the payment.

If you have any queries or concerns then please let me know.  If you do
contact us again concerning this request, please quote FOI 19-259.

 

Regards

 

 

Chelsea Lee

Business Support Apprentice

 t 01508 533 866  e [8][email address]  

 

This email and any attachments are intended for the addressee only and may
be confidential. If they come to you in error you must take no action
based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone. Please advise the
sender by replying to this email immediately and then delete the original
from your computer. Unless this email relates to Broadland District
Council or South Norfolk Council business it will be regarded by the
council as personal and will not be authorised by or sent on behalf of the
councils. The sender will have sole responsibility for any legal actions
or disputes that may arise. We have taken steps to ensure that this email
and any attachments are free from known viruses but in keeping with good
computing practice, you should ensure they are virus free. Emails sent
from and received by members and employees of Broadland District Council
and South Norfolk Council may be monitored. 

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