The proposal floated in recent Empty Homes Network publications to seek a review of Council Tax exemption class "C" on the grounds that it is a tax break that is not sufficiently justified has been dropped, following a vote by the EHN Executive.
The proposal had featured in recent EHN drafts, including the draft response to the New Homes Bonus Consultation. It was an idea originally put forward by a policy officer at Shelter England and discussed in a meeting with them last February. But the idea attracted negative comments from several quarters and it was felt appropriate to put it to a vote of the Executive.
3 options were put to the Executive and the votes received for each are shown below:
A - retain existing wording, calling for a review and stating that Exemption Class C is not justifiable
3 votes in favour
B - call for a review but drop statements suggesting that the exemption is not justifiable
3 votes in favour
C - drop the suggestion entirely
7 votes in favour
This is not the first time democratic mechanisms have been used to resolve policy issues: there were comparable processes in respect of the NAEPP Monitoring Guidelines for BVPI64. Previously issues had been put to the entire membership but since that time a semi-federal framework has evolved, with strong representation on the Executive from empty homes forums up and down the country: so it has seemed apprporiate for the Executive to exercise its power and make the decision. These examples serve to underline the importance of having a proper independent organisation with a Constitution.
You can review the debate on the issue here.