Gloucester City Council is set to vote on plans to crack down on long-term empty homes by quadrupling council tax.
If given the green light, homes empty for two years would be subject to a 150 per cent charge if left empty for two years or more.
The tax will rise to double the following April before trebling after the home has been empty for five years and rising to four times as much when the property has been vacant for a decade or more.
As #TemporaryAccommodation use and costs peak so do empty homes, why? Failed housing policies limit supply and push up price. We need to #BuildSocialHousing and take action on #emptyhomes – Government must do the maths, change lives and invest to save https://t.co/91qMH5uHzl … https://t.co/jvMFWkepx8
— Action on Empty Homes @emptyhomes (@emptyhomes) January 2, 2019
Councillors will vote on the proposals at the next cabinet meeting on January 9 with only homes owned by members of the armed forces and ‘granny flats’ – homes that are part of a main residence – exempt.
There are currently around 350 homes left empty in Gloucester for more than two years, while 160 households remain trapped in temporary accommodation.