§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what proportion of local authorities are at present rating empty properties; and whether in order to reduce rates and to accelerate letting, he will introduce legislation to make this compulsory.
§ Mr. SkeffingtonThe Local Government Act 1966, which gave local authorities power to rate empty properties, became law last December and it is too early to assess the response. 58 rating authorities (out of 1,380 in England and Wales) decided to rate empty properties in time for the decision to take effect during the present financial year; most authorities felt that they needed more time to come to a decision.
Local circumstances vary considerably and for that reason I think it was right to make rating of empty property a matter of discretion. In some areas the cost of collection would be very high in relation to the yield.