SALFORD CITY COUNCIL - RECORD OF DECISION
I Harry Seaton Director of Housing Services in exercise of the powers conferred on me by
Paragraph 6(a)(iii) of Section F of the Scheme of Delegation of the Council, and following
consultation with Councillors Warmisham and Hunt being the Lead and the Deputy Lead
Member, respectively, for the Housing Service function, do hereby



Support the development and circulation of an appropriately formatted corporate
document providing information on the powers available to the City Council for
dealing with empty properties in the Private Sector.
Approve That the Directors of Environmental Services and Development Services
be asked to provide information regarding the powers available under relevant
statutes for which they have responsibility.
That, subject to consultation with the Director of Corporate Services and relevant
Lead Members, this information be produced in a suitable format and distributed as
deemed appropriate.
The reasons are
I am satisfied that the provision of clear, detailed and accurate information as to what
action the City Council can realistically take in addressing the issues surrounding
poorly manage empty properties is in line with the principles of Best Value and the
Community Strategy.
The source of funding is Housing General Fund.
The following documents have been used to assist the decision process:-
Signed ............................................... Dated ................................................
Director
Signed
....................................Dated ................................................
Lead Member
Signed ............................................... Dated ................................................
Deputy Lead Member
Contact Officer John Wooderson
Tel. No. 0161 925 1261
* This matter is also subject to consideration by the Director of Corporate Services
and, accordingly, has been referred to that Director for a decision
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REPORT TO : LEAD MEMBER (HOUSING) AND DEPUTY LEAD MEMBER
(HOUSING)
FOR DECISION
SUBJECT : Provision of information regarding available remedies for dealing with
problems associated with empty private sector properties.
DATE :
1.0
17 August 2001
PURPOSE OF REPORT
To seek the support of the Lead and Deputy Lead Members for the
production and distribution of information regarding the powers available to
the City Council in dealing with the problems associated with empty
properties and their limitations.
2.0
RECOMMENDATIONS
2.1
That the Lead and Deputy Lead Members express their support for
the proposals detailed below.
2.2
That the Directors of Environmental Services and Development
Services be asked to provide information regarding the powers
available under relevant statutes for which they have responsibility.
2.3
That, subject to consultation with the Director of Corporate Services
and relevant Lead Members, this information be produced in a
suitable format and distributed as deemed appropriate.
3.0
BACKGROUND
3.1
Members will be fully aware of the growing concern regarding the number of
privately owned properties in the City that are currently vacant.
3.2
The main responsibility for finding long-term solutions to deal with empty
privately owned houses lies with the Strategy Division’s Enforcement and
Empty Properties Team. However, other Directorates such as Environmental
Services and Development Services play a key role in dealing with some of
the more acute problems associated with such houses, e.g. refuse
accumulations and securing properties against unauthorised access.
3.3
The number of properties being referred to the Enforcement and Empty
Properties Team is growing rapidly as awareness of their success in dealing
with problem properties increases. However, in some cases, those referring
properties either have unrealistic expectations of what action can be taken or
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become irate when told that the matter will have to be passed to another
Directorate for action.
4.0
PROPOSALS
4.1
In order to avoid duplication of effort and prevent unnecessary delays in
dealing with cases it is necessary ensure that residents and other stakeholders
receive accurate information at the earliest possible stage as to what they can
expect from the City Council in dealing with poorly managed empty
properties.
4.2
It is therefore proposed to produce an accessible information resource that
clearly identifies the following:a) The statutory powers available to the City Council to deal with the
various problems that can be associated with empty houses.
b) The practical and legislative limitations on the use of those powers.
c) An indication of the probable timescale for action under those
powers.
d) Details as to who is responsible for the use of those powers and
appropriate contact details.
4.3
This information to be contained in an appropriately formatted corporate
document that will then be circulated to elected members, appropriate
officers and key community groups and advisors.
4.4
If members are supportive of the proposal the next step would be to carry
out detailed consultation with all relevant Directorates to ensure the
completeness and accuracy of information to be provided.
4.5
At the same time the Housing Marketing and Public Relations Team would
be commissioned to consult widely on the presentation of the document and
to carry out necessary graphic design work.
4.6
A final draft of the document would then be submitted for consideration by
relevant Lead Members before production and distribution.
5.0
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
5.1
Provision exists within that part of the Housing Publicity budget to meet the
costs of design, printing and circulation.
6.0
CONCLUSION
6.1
I am satisfied that the provision of clear, detailed and accurate information
as to what action the City Council can realistically take in addressing the
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issues surrounding poorly manage empty properties is in line with the
principles of Best Value and the Community Strategy.
Author
: John Wooderson.
Checked by : Bob Osborne
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