This has a number of cross cutting service links through Housing Management, fromthe refurbishment of the void to prepare it for reoccupation and the re-letting of the property to those on the General Housing Register. Flintshire County Council retains tenancy rights for the duration of the agreement. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The project is funded by the Scottish Government and housed by Shelter Scotland. 4. More than 2m has been spent on bringing empty council homes in Flintshire back into use last year. Q 2023 BBC. Something went wrong, please try again later. For more information, please follow this link. The council said if plans were approved it could settle debts to the council, such as council tax arrears, by putting vacant or run-down properties up for auction. This grant is to help owners bring empty properties back in to use within the Councils strategic Renewal Area. Read about our approach to external linking. Maximum loan per applicant 150,000. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion. 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We are looking for a motivated planner to join our team to help us make a positive difference to Waless environment Amongst the recommendations to cabinet members are that they note the report and the estimated financial impact on the 2022/23 At a. Council set to pull out of managed lettings, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. Committee chair Cllr Helen Brown said: "We need to protect the investment we put in. Flintshire Council's Cabinet will meet on Tuesday to discuss a revenue budget monitoring report for 2022/23. Applicant is invited to apply by the Council, For use within the Councils strategic Renewal Area, A proportion of the grant must be repaid if the property is sold or transferred within 5 years. But the new proposal has already come under fire from Labour opposition on Flintshire, who have pledged to fight it. K E L The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership exists to help bring private sector empty homes back into use. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The report states: "Although, there is continued support via the new Homelessness No One Left Out grant, with a further allocation of 0.256m being confirmed recently, this still falls well below the amount of support the council received via the Hardship Fund in 2020/21 and 2021/22. For owners of vacant properties to bring up to lettable standard, in eligible areas, to be occupied by Council nominated tenants for 5 years. Applications will also be considered from first time buyers who wish to reside at the property themselves and who are also registered on the Councils Affordable Home Ownership Register. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. contact the editor here. 01244 725688. Council holds share of property to be repaid on sale or transfer within 2-5 years. Sheltered housing in remote areas suffered from limited access to shops, especially with the closure of local convenience stores, the report said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Empty properties or 'voids' happen when a tenant leaves one of the council's owned housing units. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Newsquest Media Group Ltd, 1st Floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, Wales, NP20 1DW Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Read about our approach to external linking. Max: 25,000 per unit of accommodation (150,000 per applicant maximum). , The total value for the framework period is an estimated 11,500,000. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Buying an empty home can seem like a daunting and painstaking prospect for some people, although can provide excellent bargains, particularly for those who are looking for properties to renovate themselves. A review of sheltered housing in Flintshire is set to be carried out because of an 'excessive' amount of empty properties. 2. Wrexham Glyndwr University set to rebrand as Prifysgol Wrecsam/Wrexham University. Frank Williams, who has lived in Lixwm village all his life, raised the issue of the empty wardens bungalow at the OAP development in Bryn Tirion with the Daily Post over six years ago. Suggested solutions include installing stairlifts, putting in extensive adaptations for people with disabilities, and support to allow residents to do internet shopping. 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It also had 340 long term chargeable empty homes, down on last year's figure of 433. If you send any further correspondence about this request, please include the reference number and either e.mail it to [Flintshire County Council request email], or post it to Freedom of Information, Flintshire County Council, Information Governance, County . Something went wrong, please try again later. Flintshire has approximately 500 long term empty properties; the Empty Property Grant is a loan to help owners bring empty properties back in to use. There are approximately 500 long term empty properties in the County. On completion of the works, the property meets the Decent Homes Standard. Buying an empty home. the use of cookies. We serve those towns and villages in Flintshire which lie close to River Dee in North East Wales and the border with neighbouring Chester in England. . Read 327,693 times in last 30 days Approximately 70% of current void properties are completed within the target period. Bedsits were also "generally unpopular" with older tenants and tended to be used as short-term accommodation. V As well as that, the longer a property is empty the less valuable it becomes. Committee chairman Cllr Ron Hampson said: This is the biggest problem weve got. Max: 35,000 per unit of accommodation (150,000 per applicant maximum). G It doesnt make sense.. READ MORE:Flintshire Council set to reduce pesticide use to support wildlife. By viewing our content you are accepting When an empty property is being sold after the death of the owner the property is exempt of Council Tax for 6 months after the granting of probate. Launched in 2014, Deeside.com is an independent online news and information website. , Currently up to 500 of its 7,200 rental properties become available each year, and the authority is now preparing to put new guidelines in placefor how it selects builders to carry out the improvement works. For owners of 6 months plus, vacant residential properties to bring up to lettable standard. , The most economically advantageous tenderer, based on price and quality will be allocated work as first choice and this will continue unless the client feels the tenderers financial threshold is exceeded. , The councils cabinet will be asked to agree on the new framework at a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 17 July. Nearest school 0.6mi. An "excessive" number of empty sheltered homes is costing a council nearly a quarter of a million pounds a year in lost rent, officers say. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The reasons include distance from shops, and upstairs flats unsuitable for less mobile elderly tenants. This is in the form of an interest free loan to cover works which bring the property up to the Decent Homes Standard. These applicants are not subject to the conditions relating to the management of the property by a social lettings agency, FCC retaining tenancy rights and the requirement to become an accredited landlord. The borough council last night confirmed a total 16 former warden properties have been empty, some for several years, while the authority considered its sheltered housing policy. contact the editor here. In addition to setting out the projected positions and projections for various council departments, the report also sets out a number of risks which are being 'tracked.'. A Gannett Company. J Comments have been closed on this article. A review by Flintshire County Council showed some . Flintshire has approximately 500 long term empty properties; the Empty Property Grant is a loan to help owners bring empty properties back in to use. Carl Sargeant, AM for Alyn and Deeside, described it as a dereliction of duty. Chief housing officer Neal Cockerton said in a report the 2,600 sheltered accommodation properties accounted for just over a third of Flintshire's housing stock. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Lambeth, London, PO3: 42,510 pa (including London Weighting) rising in annual increments to 45,711 pa: Lambeth has a fantastic variety of areas, stretching from prominent riverside locations in the north such as Waterloo/South Bank and Vauxhall One of these, headed 'homelessness', explains there is a risk due to the cessation of funding from the Welsh Government COVID-19 hardship fund at the end of 2021/22. These include empty homes: We use cookies to improve your experience. The previous contract arrangement meant the council only had access to one contractor. Meanwhile Flintshire council will get 750,000 from the Welsh Government to redevelop old and empty properties that are difficult to bring back into use. MORE than a dozen council properties have stood empty for years - costing Flintshire thousands of pounds in lost rental income. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Council set to pull out of managed lettings, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended. Conwy had 1,155 chargeable second homes but only 1,181, last year, whilst Denbighshire had 397 and 393. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. ", Sean O'Donnell replied by saying:"This is something that we really want to work hard on over the next few months. More than 2m has been spent on bringing empty council homes in Flintshire back into use last year. Either staged repayments (monthly, quarterly or yearly) or full repayment at the end of the HIL term or on sale of the property if earlier. By bringing them back into use we could remove the problems associated with empty homes for the good of the wider community and help address housing needs. If you are concerned that a property is empty in your area report it at emptyhomes@shelter.org.uk or phone the Empty Homes Advice Service on 0344 515 1941. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. If your application is accepted, you'll go on to a waiting list of people who need a council home. Y Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the recommendations put forward toaddressthe challenges identified within the Voids Action Plan. An empty home need to be looked after as much as one which is lived in. The proposal aims to tackle the 469 homes currently empty in the Welsh county. U Lambeth, London, Grade & Salary: 37,308-40,806 (Grade 6): Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Applicant must have sufficient equity within their property to cover the loan amount/or offer a different property with sufficient equity for security, Applicants property must be long term vacant (over 6 months), Property must be tenanted until the loan is released or sold, On completion of the works, the property must be habitable and of a lettable standard (no, Property must be covered by buildings insurance until the loan is repaid, Maximum loan of 25,000 subject to eligibility testing and loan assessment, The Council holds a share of the property value, to the cost of the works, Loan is repaid on sale or transfer (maximum loan term is 2 years for sale and 3 years for rent), Voluntary early repayment may be made at any time. The Voids Action Plan was. Editors' Code of Practice. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Deeside.com Est. Among the warden bungalows which have remained empty is a three bedroom bungalow at Lixwm near Holywell, which has been empty for at least six years. Empty flats could also be used to cut council spending on delayed transfer from care or hospital for people not yet ready to return to their own homes. Wales-wide reports. Work has begun on a 3.1m redevelopment of Aberystwyth railway station in Mid Wales. Please note you will be required to manage the project yourself, including seeking competitive quotes, arranging an asbestos survey, managing the work on site and ensuring that all the work is completed to your satisfaction and meets any legislative requirements in place.Please note that the loan is discretionary and an offer of a loan cannot be guaranteed until the applicant has received formal notice of approval. Kilncraigs, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, FK10 1EBTel: 01259 450000Email: customerservice@clacks.gov.uk. Flintshire County Council's Social Services department Housing Apply for a Council house and find other advice relating to Flintshire County Council's Housing services Jobs and. Any properties where tenants refuse access needs to be reported to housing management.". "This is due to a combination of more new placements and fewer households moving on. Challenges faced by the council included the availability of skilled resources, raw materials and linked price increases, all of which impacts negatively on void delivery and turnaround times. , Chief officer for housing and assets, Neal Cockerton, said the agreed payment rates are shortly due to lapse and need renewing. A new council scheme could see owners of dilapidated or empty buildings in Flintshire being forced to sell. 69 other terms for empty house - words and phrases with similar meaning. PO5: 48,747 pa (including London Weighting) rising in annual increments to 51,783 pa: Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Empty Property Grant & Living Over the Shops (LOTS), APPLY FOR IT: Empty Property Financial Assistance (PDF - 0.1 MB), Works which make a residential property safe warm and/or secure, 1,000 up to 25,000. Upstairs flats also became unsuitable for elderly tenants over time as they became less mobile, it added. antonyms. Council holds share of property to be repaid on sale or transfer within 2-3 years. New BBC Wales HQ to be built on Cardiff bus station, Housing fund puts power back in tenants' hands, Regeneration of Newcastle's Co-op building begins. Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Some flats become unsuitable as tenants grow older, the report said. During the meeting this week, Housing Services manager Sean O'Donnell said the maintarget now was to 'address the backlog in voids and increase resilience' in terms of contractors. Suggested solutions include installing stairlifts, putting in extensive adaptations for people with disabilities, and support to allow residents to do internet shopping. . For owners of 6 months plus, vacant residential properties to bring up to lettable standard. , By Liam Randall Local Democracy Reporter. Furthermore, the report also urges councillors to reduce the age of eligibility for sheltered housing from 60 to 55, in line with local housing associations. He said there was no good explanation from the authority then about why it was empty and in the intervening six years it had remained empty. The report will be discussed by members of the council's community, housing and assets scrutiny committee at a virtual meeting on Wednesday (November 4, 2020). MORE than a dozen council properties have stood empty for years - costing Flintshire thousands of pounds in lost rental income. A proportion of the grant is repayable on sale or transfer if within 5 years. Your council will then prioritise applications based on who needs a home most urgently. S The fund, made available to Councils in Wales, enables the Council to provide short to medium term loans to owners of sub-standard properties who pass affordability criteria and who are restricted by other sources of finance. The result was lost rent of 242,492 in 2018-19, the report said, equivalent to 2.2% of the 11.3m raised from sheltered accommodation tenants. Flintshire Council headquarters at County Hall, Mold. FLINTSHIRE councillors have discussed what the next steps arefor empty houses throughout the county - after atwo year struggledue to various complications. The Housing and Assets Service housing stock consists of around 7,300 properties. Please note that the loan is discretionary and an offer of a loan cannot be guaranteed until the applicant has received formal notice of approval. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The only way the property owner could prevent a sale would be to repay the debt, but the council said the policy would only be used as a last resort after all other avenues had failed. Owner Occupier Loans Housing Regeneration. At a housing subcommittee meeting, Cllr Eric Owen said: If we could be taking rents of 50 a week it would work out at a loss of 500,000 for the year so far.. Flintshire Council set to reduce pesticide use to support wildlife, Bid to tackle challenges surrounding empty council houses in Flintshire, Frightened and desperate families speak out over housing rental shortage. An "excessive" number of empty sheltered homes is costing a council nearly a quarter of a million pounds a year in lost rent, officers say. The proposal aims to tackle the 469 homes currently empty in the Welsh county. Z, Copyright 2023 Clackmannanshire Council , The repairs and maintenance team also utilise these contractors when works are either too large or complex to manage. , The council experiences 400-500 void properties per year and, overall, the cost of bringing these back into a lettable standard equates to approximately 2,300,000 per year. And according to the document, the 'Council Fund' has an operating surplus of almost 700,000. He said: , The voids team utilise contractors for works to empty properties that is unable to be resourced or delivered via the direct work force. Questions were raised over whether or not more regular inspections needed to be carried out in order to ensure that any damage done by tenants was kept to a minimum. Repayment terms to be sorted by administrator on a case-by-case basis as part of affordability checks, Owners of sub-standard residential properties e.g. Chief housing officer Neal Cockerton said in a report the 2,600 sheltered accommodation properties accounted for just over a third of Flintshire's housing stock. On top of the loss, the council is spending 3,500 on bringing each property up to standard. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. landlords, owner occupiers who pass affordability checks. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Applying for a Council Tax discount or reduction. , Get notified about news from across North Wales, Long delays on A55 in Flintshire following a collision, Ewloe glamping pods plan refused due concerns over impact on open countryside, 24 hour support and advice helpline now available to individuals with autism and neurodivergence, Hospice appeal for volunteers at the ESSAR Chester Half Marathon, Youngsters commend north Wales health board for its commitment to improving patient experience, Cost of Living Crisis: Home appliance costs surge for UK families, Transport watchdog demands urgent action from Transport for Wales to improve rail service reliability, NEWSAR: Phone Find technology helps locate person in need of help in Deeside countryside. Editors' Code of Practice. The Welsh Government has launched a new Loan scheme offering financial support to owners of private properties. We have looked at releasing them back into general need but because of where they are and their allocation, we have to be careful. Executive member for housing management, Coun Helen Yale, said the situation was one which had existed before she came into office, but now 15 of the 16 had been rented out and Lixwm was under consideration. N Sign up to our free newsletter for the top North Wales stories sent straight to your e-mail. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. This is designed to cover works which bring the property up to the Decent Homes Standard. Miss Harkin said: We need to radically improve where we are now.. But, the re-tendering exercise will 'increase resilience', whilst ensuring newly procured contractors are held accountable to performance targets. An example would be, works to remedy serious disrepair, provide modern kitchen and bathroom facilities, improve heating systems and insulation, and to remove any serious hazards which could affect the well-being of the occupier, such as dampness, dangerous stairs or electrical wiring. the use of cookies. For further information call: 01352 703434, Housing Regeneration and Strategy County Offices Chapel Street Flint Flintshire CH6 5BD. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Figures released by Wrexham Council . Good for the local economy I hope!! This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.