THE Cornwall Council cabinet member for housing has responded to a former mayor’s concern over empty properties in Bodmin.

Cllr Andy Coppin, a Bodmin town councillor and former mayor between 2014 and 2015, contacted the council with concerns about the length of time that properties owned by the council’s arms length management company (ALMO) Cornwall Housing were left empty.

In the letter, the former mayor highlighted that there were several properties in his council ward that had been empty for several months.

He noted that not only did it mean it prevented people from accessing affordable social housing, it deprived the council of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of rental income if the situation was replicated across the county.

In response to Cllr Coppin, Cllr Peter La Broy, the independent councillor responsible for housing said that part of the reason there were so many empty houses in Bodmin was due to residents moving to newly built estates.

He also added that there had been a higher than usual number of deaths in the town, further exacerbating the pressures on the ability of Cornwall Housing to prepare the properties for new tenants.

In the response, Cllr La Broy said: “The council receives most of its funding from government grants and council tax paid by residents. Like most councils, there are huge pressures to our finances and choices to be made about how we deploy resources to achieve best value. The new council will be reviewing our budgets over coming months and making sure that we minimise debt while continuing to support those services we know are important to local people.

“Council housing is required by government to have an entirely separate budget (known as the Housing Revenue Account), it receives most of the funding from rents paid by local tenants living in the homes it manages, meaning that any improvements in performance by Cornwall Housing has no impact on the wider council budgets. However, reducing the number of weeks that properties are empty is critical, and a priority for Cornwall Housing. This will be monitored closely by the new council.

“It is not clear from the pictures the address of the properties that you are referring to, but I am aware across Bodmin, we have seen a spike in the number of people ending tenancies since February. This has been due to the new development being available by the hospital with people moving to new homes there and sadly, through a higher than usual number of deaths.

“It is taking time to work through the list of empty homes and ensure that they are ready to let to the next family, but Cornwall Housing are working hard to achieve this as quickly as possible.

“The issue that you raise is something that I am already aware of, I have had exploratory conversations with council officers and the managing director of Cornwall Housing Ltd on this matter. I will be paying close attention to the process of getting the empty properties fit and ready for habitation in the shortest time possible.”