Property Information - Freedom of information requests

Property Information

15280

31/05/2021

EIR

1. What are the total number of households in your area?2. How many commercial properties within your area are currently empty?3. How many households pay council tax to the authority?4. How many households are claiming a single person’s occupancy?
5. How many people are on a local authority housing waiting list for housing in your area?
6. How many people within your area are currently considered to be homeless?
7. Over the past 5 years, how many residential properties have been constructed?
8. Over the past 5 years, how much money has the authority received from CIL and Section 106 agreements?

1. We do not specifically record this information and we give notice under 10(4)(a) of EI(S)R 2004. However, I can confirm that we currently have 59,066 live domestic Council Tax accounts on our database. To clarify, this does not confirm the number of households as some properties will be joint tenancies, vacant or second homes etc.

2. We do not specifically record this information in our Business Rates system and we give notice under 10(4)(a) of EI(S)R 2004.
However, an assumption can be made where the business premise receives an exemption or relief type only applicable to an unoccupied property. Based on our records as at 31 May 2021, 450 business properties are in receipt of a relief or exemption type detailed in the list below:-
* Listed building
* Below minimum RV
* Occupation prohibited by law
* Trustee in bankruptcy liable
* Empty property relief 10%
* Empty relief
* Empty relief and charitable

3. As a Scottish Authority, Council Tax bills also include a charge for Water and Waste Water services where the property is connected to the public supply. I can confirm that 56,842 live Council Tax accounts have a liability to pay Council Tax and/or Water/Waste Water charges.

4. 21,014

5. Scottish Borders Council became a stock transfer authority in 2003 and therefore, this information is not held we give notice under 10(4)(a) of EI(S)R 2004.

6. We currently have 192 individuals/family units considered homeless, - For clarity Section 24 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, as amended, defines homelessness for the purposes of the Act as follows:- A person is homeless if he/ she has no accommodation in the UK or elsewhere. A person is also homeless if he/she has accommodation but cannot reasonably occupy it, for example because of a threat of violence.
In general terms, a household would be considered homeless if they have no home in the UK or anywhere else in the world where they or their family can live together, or they have no rights to live in the place they are currently staying, or the place where they are currently living is unsuitable or unsafe.

7. Please see below a list of housing completions within the Scottish Borders from 2014/15 to 2018/19. The completions are recorded annually from 1st April to 31st March the following year, as part of the Housing Land Audit (HLA). Please note that the most up to date HLA was finalised in 2019 and work is still progressing on the 2020 HLA.
2014/15 – 272 units
2015/16 – 373 units
2016/17 – 250 units
2017/18 – 222 units
2018/19 – 345 units

8. Community Infrastructure Levy’s and Section 106 Agreements are covered by English legislation and are therefore not applicable to Scottish Borders Council.