Ministers have told Camden Council to forget about plans
to impose a “ghost town tax” on property owners who leave homes empty for long
periods. Labour finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell wants to get tough with
property moguls by charging double rates of council tax when multiple homes are
bought up and then left vacant. But he can only hike bills to that level with
permission from Eric Pickles’ local government department at Whitehall – and he
has been given a firm “No”. Mr Pickles’ minister Brandon Lewis responded to
Cllr Blackwell’s request by saying: “The government believes the current empty
home premium is appropriate and has no plans to make the changes you
suggested.” Read more on the Camden New Journal website.
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