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Nuneaton Council Refunds £259k After Unlawful Empty Homes Tax

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has refunded more than £250,000 to owners of empty properties after admitting it did not follow proper procedures before introducing higher council tax charges. The council had implemented increased charges in April last year, doubling council tax for homes left empty for over 12 months and tripling bills for properties vacant for more than five years.

Owners of a Band D property saw annual bills rise from approximately £2,502 to £5,004 under the policy. The refunds were issued following an investigation by monitoring officer Matthew Wallbank, who found that the scheme had not been properly approved and that its impact on residents and the local economy had not been fully assessed.

Council documents show that the investigation began after a resident pointed out similarities with a case at Warwick District Council, which had also refunded charges imposed unlawfully. Wallbank concluded that Nuneaton and Bedworth’s cabinet had approved the premiums without a full council vote and that the authority had not produced a sufficiently detailed impact assessment, as required by Government guidance.

The council has also abandoned plans to introduce a double council tax for second-home owners from April this year, following legal concerns about the consultation and approval process. The authority, now under no overall control after local elections, confirmed that all affected empty homes accounts have been refunded and that the proposed second-home premium was never introduced.

This case highlights the procedural challenges local authorities face when implementing empty homes and second-home premiums. Property owners and investors in areas where such premiums are being considered may wish to monitor whether proper consultation and approval processes are followed.