Council Tax Premiums Consultation

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The Council Tax Premiums Consultation is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

The consultation findings and feedback on the key messages are available here.

The findings were discussed by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cabinet and Full Council in January and February 2023, to help inform Councillor's decisions when they set the budget, including Council Tax Premiums.

Information about these meetings is available on the Council’s Website:

Details for Overview and Scrutiny here

Details for Cabinet here

Details for Full Council here

Share your views on potential changes to the Council Tax premiums charged to owners of empty properties and second homes

In response to proposals in the government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Council is considering the following in relation to Council Tax premiums:

  • Proposal 1 - to charge a Council Tax premium on homes that have been empty for one year or more (currently the premium is charged after two years).
  • Proposal 2 - introducing a premium on second homes.

We believe this will help to increase the amount of available housing stock in the borough and help us meet the target set out in our empty homes strategy to bring 1,000 empty homes back into use over a five-year period to 2027.

We would like to know what you think about these potential changes to Council Tax premiums.

For further information about the consultation:

  • Read the background here
  • Read the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill here
  • Read the Empty Homes Strategy here

How to share your views


The consultation will be open until Sunday 18 December 2022.

The results of this consultation will be reported to key decision makers and any decision to change the Council’s policy on Council Tax premiums will be made at Budget Council in February 2023.

The Council Tax Premiums Consultation is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who took part.

The consultation findings and feedback on the key messages are available here.

The findings were discussed by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cabinet and Full Council in January and February 2023, to help inform Councillor's decisions when they set the budget, including Council Tax Premiums.

Information about these meetings is available on the Council’s Website:

Details for Overview and Scrutiny here

Details for Cabinet here

Details for Full Council here

Share your views on potential changes to the Council Tax premiums charged to owners of empty properties and second homes

In response to proposals in the government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Council is considering the following in relation to Council Tax premiums:

  • Proposal 1 - to charge a Council Tax premium on homes that have been empty for one year or more (currently the premium is charged after two years).
  • Proposal 2 - introducing a premium on second homes.

We believe this will help to increase the amount of available housing stock in the borough and help us meet the target set out in our empty homes strategy to bring 1,000 empty homes back into use over a five-year period to 2027.

We would like to know what you think about these potential changes to Council Tax premiums.

For further information about the consultation:

  • Read the background here
  • Read the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill here
  • Read the Empty Homes Strategy here

How to share your views


The consultation will be open until Sunday 18 December 2022.

The results of this consultation will be reported to key decision makers and any decision to change the Council’s policy on Council Tax premiums will be made at Budget Council in February 2023.