Cumberland Council has started a process of enforced purchase on a property that has not been lived in for twenty years. The body has been criticised over its “heavy-handed use of the enforced purchase powers”.
The former Carlisle City Council has for several years attempted to return the privately owned property to use, however, the owner of the home has “refused to engage” and now owes £792 in council tax.
The enforced purchase process means the “unsightly” property will be put up for sale.
The council reported that the property had been a cause of “distress” to its neighbours, due to its neglected state which raised the possibility of attracting anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson said: “We also have to balance this with the interests of the wider public – both the local residents who have to live with an unsightly property nearby, as well as all Cumberland residents who have to pay for the continued costs and diverted resources associated with dealing with any anti-social behaviour a property in this state can attract.”
The details of the sale have not yet been published.
The founder of the Cumbria First political party, Jonathan Davies, said: “The discovery of this forced sale by Cumberland Council over a £792 debt owed to the council should be a warning to everyone in Cumberland.
“This action that was not taken in a public democratic way but behind closed doors sets a dangerous precedent for the council with future debts individuals owe to Cumberland Council. You have to wonder just how far the council will now go to fill the piggy bank.”
Another property, in Carlisle, that was unoccupied for five years was reported to have been given a new lease of life thanks to the council’s enforced sales policy in June 2023.
The mid terraced home was blamed for causing damp to spread to adjacent homes, and after attempts to engage with the legal owner, works in default were arranged under the Environmental Protection Act which were designed to limit any further damage.
As a result of the works totalling over £1,000, the sale could be enforced under the council’s enforced sales policy.
Any profits from the sale of a property, following deductions for any works in default and fees, go to the legal owner.
The council is making a grant available of up to £3,000 to homeowners of empty properties to help them return the homes to a habitable state. It also offers a validated VAT support letter if the homeowner is eligible, which would reduce the VAT bill on some works from 20% to 5% if the property is empty for more than two years.