A MOTION relating to Cumberland Council's Empty Homes Policy has been deferred so it can be looked into by the relevant director at the authority.

It was proposed during the meeting of the full council at the Civic Centre in Carlisle on Tuesday (November 5) and Clare Liddle, the council's monitoring officer, told members that she considered it could have a significant effect on the council's budget and that it should be deferred.

It was proposed by councillor Trevor Allison (Dalston and Burgh, Conservative) and he was seconded by councillor Gareth Ellis (Wetheral, Conservative).

His motion gave a number of examples of individuals who were made to pay extra council tax on empty properties in contrast with an example of a large period house and grounds, which had been empty for years and has fallen into a state of disrepair, but there was no liability for council tax as it was "deleted by the Valuation Office Agency".

During the debate cllr Allison said that the properties which had been deleted by the Valuation Office Agency were either uninhabitable or were of no interest to developers.

According to the motion the Empty Homes Policy aimed to target landlords and developers who choose, for commercial reasons, to leave properties empty. It added: "But under the Law of Unintended Consequences it is capturing ordinary people trying to get on the housing ladder.

"Clearly the present execution of the Empty Home Policy provides no flexibility to consider individual cases such as I have described.

"Ordinary people of limited means are being included alongside the professional landlords and developers.

"This motion asks council to allow officers operating the EHP the flexibility to consider each case on its merits having regard to the circumstances of the applicant, including a clause in the EHP that provides first time buyers up to a year’s concession on council tax on the property they are bringing back into use, regardless of its previous liability for council tax."

When the matter was put to the vote members were in favour of it being deferred to the appropriate director before returning to the council.