Rating (Property in Common Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Bill

Part of Windrush – in the House of Commons at 7:31 pm on 23 April 2018.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Michelle Donelan Michelle Donelan Conservative, Chippenham 7:31, 23 April 2018

I completely agree and I will come on to deal with that point.

I want to reiterate the point that empty homes attract squatters, which can result in vandalism and antisocial behaviour. That helps to bring down areas and can be upsetting for local residents. Residents often come to my surgery asking, “Why is that property still empty and what can we do about it?” Today, we have an example of what we can do about it, with a measure to incentivise people to use those empty homes.