Under Hammond’s plan, council tax on homes in the borough’s highest band would increase from £2,124 a year to £4,248. “We need to have a punitive rate above normal council tax to actually incentivise reuse of empty properties,” Sweeney said on Twitter. We need to have a punitive rate above normal council tax to actually incentivise reuse of empty properties. “For a very wealthy buyer spending millions, 100% council tax is not really enough of a disincentive,” she said. The ward has 100 homes listed as empty for more than two years and another 128 recorded as unoccupied and substantially unfurnished.

Source: The Guardian November 22, 2017 19:30 UTC