Town Hall Halt Right To Buy Council Home Deals

Fourteen Right to Buy deals for Camden Council homes have been halted by fraud investigators amid suspicions they were set up by people looking to cheat the system. The cases were revealed in a new report circulated at the Town Hall, which also shows that the council has seen an increase in potential fraudulent applications over the last financial year. The rise matches a trend that has seen local authorities across the country report more fraud cases than ever before, and coincides with the increased discounts made available by the government to tenants looking to buy ownership of their council homes. Read more on the Camden New Journal website.

Government Blocks Plan to Double Council Tax for Empty Homes

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.