The council does target tax invaders

CONTRARY to the letter by Brian Nathan-Partridge, the council do target the city’s council tax evaders and we have a collection rate of over 98% of all council tax. This year we will be building into the budget for a collection rate of 98.3%. If only central government were as efficient in their collection of taxes as local councils are.

However, the letter was a distraction from the real purpose of increasing the level of council tax for empty homes. This was not about trying to increase the level of council tax income for the council otherwise we would have started collecting council tax on empty properties as soon as they become vacant not when they have been vacant for two years.

I believe that two years should be more than sufficient time to get their properties in a fit condition either for sale or to rent out in the private sector.

Everybody understands that there is a serious shortage of housing all over the country. In Coventry we have 1300 empty properties, 400 of which have been empty for two years or longer. At the same time we have 400 families living in temporary accommodation including in bed and breakfast.

Surely even Mr Nathan-Partridge would agree with me that raising families in one room in a hotel is not beneficial to the children in those families and they should have the same opportunity as the majority of children in Coventry have of growing up in a house with garden facilities. I

f we can just encourage 200 owners of empty properties to bring those properties back into use then hundreds of families and children will benefit from this policy. Councillor John Mutton Cabinet Member, Strategic Finance and Resources