Enable choice: enable people to change their behaviours Employ Officers specialising in empty homes are Cornwall Council has a dedicated officer to on Staff revenue, government able to offer advice and assistance and early intervention measures, dealing only with funding payable to the local dedicated individually tailored solutions properties that have been empty less than 6 months council (New Homes Bonus - a Empty Homes as these will be easier to bring back to use. government initiative which Officer or Luton Council was able to enlist the support of an financially rewards Local Coordinator associate from the charity Empty Homes on a Authorities for a net gain in empty temporary basis to provide dedicated resource on homes brought back into use. It is empty homes. up to the individual Local Manchester City Council are about to establish a new Authority to decide how the NHB Empty Homes team with 5 new officers, having not is used to bring more empty previously had a team dedicated to empty homes. properties into use), council tax They used an invest to save business case e.g. the monies from houses brought new officers would be funded using the New Homes back into use Bonus and additional council tax returns acquired from bringing empty properties back into use Guide choice by changing the default position: make choices the default position for people ‘better’ A robust strategy underpinned by an Empty Homes Manchester City Council uses a scoring matrix for Partnership working, approval identifying priorities but felt that this approach was and support from members and Strategy and action plan setting out clear targets for random and that they need a strategy for targeting other council departments, staff Action Plan the approach to empty Local Authority's certain areas and property types. resources homes. It is good practice to review and Derby City Council published its Empty Homes refresh these annually Strategy in 2011 which addresses new opportunities including the New Homes Bonus. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council worked with an agency to help them more creatively about ways to bring empty homes back into use
Enable choice: enable people to change their behaviours Employ dedicated Empty Homes Officer or Coordinator Officers specialising in empty homes are able to offer advice and assistance and individually tailored solutions Cornwall Council has a dedicated officer to on early intervention measures, dealing only with properties that have been empty less than 6 months as these will be easier to bring back to use. Luton Council was able to enlist the support of an associate from the charity Empty Homes on a temporary basis to provide dedicated resource on empty homes. Manchester City Council are about to establish a new Empty Homes team with 5 new officers, having not previously had a team dedicated to empty homes. They used an invest to save business case e.g. the new officers would be funded using the New Homes Bonus and additional council tax returns acquired from bringing empty properties back into use Staff revenue, government funding payable to the local council (New Homes Bonus - a government initiative which financially rewards Local Authorities for a net gain in empty homes brought back into use. It is up to the individual Local Authority to decide how the NHB is used to bring more empty properties into use), council tax monies from houses brought back into use Guide choice by changing the default position: make ‘better’ choices the default position for people Empty Homes Strategy and Action Plan A robust strategy underpinned by an action plan setting out clear targets for the Local Authority's approach to empty homes. It is good practice to review and refresh these annually Manchester City Council uses a scoring matrix for identifying priorities but felt that this approach was random and that they need a strategy for targeting certain areas and property types. Derby City Council published its Empty Homes Strategy in 2011 which addresses new opportunities including the New Homes Bonus. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council worked with an agency to help them more creatively about ways to bring empty homes back into use Partnership working, approval and support from members and other council departments, staff resources
Turning%20Empty%20Houses%20into%20Homes%20-%20Consultation%20Doc%20Feb%202012.docx