LocalGov Elections: Ones to watch in May
Dr Greg Stride, Senior Researcher, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) provides a primer for the upcoming local elections.
Welsh councils given new powers to buy empty homes
16/10/2020 Councils in Wales will be allowed to compulsory purchase empty houses and vacant land under new planning rules. |
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Calls for councils to be given more power over empty properties
15/11/2019 A major union has called for councils to be allowed to take over empty properties to house people on waiting lists. |
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Councils should ‘invest to save’ by supporting local regeneration schemes
02/05/2019 Local authorities should support community-based neighbourhood regeneration approaches to help bring empty homes back into use. |
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MSPs to investigate the causes of empty homes in Scotland
05/04/2019 An investigation into empty homes in Scotland and how they can be brought back into use is to be conducted by MSPs. |
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Bankrolling empty properties
28/03/2019 Danny Curran says the Government is sitting on hundreds of empty dwellings while leaving local councils with the bill of maintenance. |
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Making use of empty homes
23/10/2018 Tiffany Cloynes examines some of the legal issues with moving social housing tenants into empty private homes, as proposed by one London council. |
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Council slams MoD for empty homes
09/10/2018 The MoD has been accused of denying families a home after leaving dozens of houses unoccupied and falling into disrepair. |
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Councils call for tax increases on empty homes
18/07/2018 Council leaders have called for the power to double the amount of council tax on homes that have been left empty between two and five years. |
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Councils given power to double council tax on empty homes
28/03/2018 Councils will be allowed to double the rate of council tax on long-term empty properties under new legislation announced today. |
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More than 11,000 homes empty for at least a decade
02/01/2018 More than 11,000 homes have stood empty for at least 10 years, according to new research by the Liberal Democrats. |
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New £1m project to tackle empty homes in Sunderland
13/10/2017 A local partnership including Sunderland council has launched a £1m project to improve rented housing in part of the city and bring more empty properties back into use as family homes. |
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County considers converting empty properties into homes for care leavers
21/06/2017 Norfolk County Council is set to turn empty properties into homes for care leavers in a bid to improve services for vulnerable young people. |
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Councils sitting on 23,000 vacant residential properties
27/04/2017 Local authorities are holding onto over 23,000 vacant residential properties - an average of 87 per council - new research reveals. |
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London councils sitting on 22,000 empty garages finds research
18/01/2017 Councils in London own 22,000 empty garages that could be freed up to deliver at least 16,000 homes, according to new research. |
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Council could double tax on empty homes
03/10/2016 Homes left empty long-term in Newport would be taxed at double the normal rate under plans being considered by the city council. |
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Councils told to publish list of surplus assets
03/02/2016 Councils will be forced to publish details of any buildings that have stood empty for longer than two years, under plans to reduce the number of public surplus assets. |
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Think tank urges push to bring co-housing to the mainstream
26/01/2016 A new report has set out how co-housing can ‘move from the margins to the mainstream’ to make high quality, sustainable and affordable developments the norm. |
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Council to open empty buildings for rough sleepers
16/11/2015 Manchester City Council is opening up empty buildings for rough sleepers to use overnight as part of a campaign to create more bed spaces across the city. |
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Council could open up empty buildings for rough sleepers
02/11/2015 Manchester City Council is exploring the idea of opening up empty public buildings to the homeless. |
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FOI request reveals 2,600 empty council homes across Ireland
28/09/2015 Politicians in Ireland have demanded the country’s 2,600 empty local authority homes are put to use to tackle the ‘growing housing emergency’. |
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Council to launch private company to meet homeless needs
23/06/2015 Bournemouth Council is launching a new company to enable it to buy homes and rent them out to homeless people. |
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Fiscal freedom for councils would unlock empty homes says think tank
30/04/2015 Councils should be allowed to decide their own taxes and funding scheme for empty homes, under plans published by think tank IPPR North. |
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Council tax and foreign investors targeted in Labour housing pledge
27/04/2015 Labour has vowed to give first time buyers priority for new housing and raise council tax on empty properties if it takes power in May. |
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Councils urged to tackle empty homes in new research
16/04/2015 The majority of the public believe councils should do more to bring empty homes back into use rather than building new houses, according to new research. |
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Green Party pledges to ‘revive local democracy’ with new council powers
14/04/2015 The Green Party has vowed to launch new council tax bands for larger properties and remove caps on rises for local authorities. |
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Labour launches ‘fully funded’ General Election manifesto
13/04/2015 Labour has today pledged to target devolution, wage rises and protection of public services, among a range of fully funded manifesto commitments. |
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Council expands £1 homes and shops scheme
27/03/2015 Liverpool is extending its ?Homes for a Pound? scheme following a successful pilot, and is also exploring the possibility of including empty shops in the initiative. |
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Borough hits out at Vacant Building Credit
10/03/2015 The Government’s Vacant Building Credit could reduce affordable housing provision by up to a third, council analysis is claiming. |
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Council issue warning over empty homes
30/01/2015 Home owners who leave properties empty and neglected will be served with a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), under plans announced by Haringey Council. |
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Borough plans historic action to tackle empty homes
05/12/2014 New homeowners in a London borough could be forced to keep their properties occupied, in landmark proposals to tackle ‘buy-to-leave’. |
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Survey shows public support for tackling empty homes
01/12/2014 Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the general public would like their local council to prioritise bringing empty homes back into use, according to a new survey. |
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Miliband sets targets on empty homes
07/05/2014 Labour leader Ed Miliband has pledged to tackle wealthy investors hoarding empty homes by rolling out greater council tax premiums. |
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Number of empty homes reaches an all-time low in England
10/03/2014 The number of empty homes in England has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to new figures published today. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
