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Response A1345734

Response to request for information

Reference

A1345734

Response date

29 September 2021

Request

Information about empty properties.

Response

  1. Number of empty domestic properties within your area
    • 487 empty longer than 6 months
  2. Number of empty domestic properties the council is responsible for
    • Zero
  3. What is the councils policy on bringing empty domestic properties back into use
  4. Does the council own a property company
    • No
  5. Which roles sit on the empty properties group and when did it last meet? We do not have any group of that name.
  6. How many CPOs have been executed since 2018 to date
    • Zero
  7. A list of all the addresses of domestic properties that are empty within your area.
    • This data is exempt from FOI under section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Section 31(1)(a) says that we do not need to provide information that would be likely to prejudice the functions of law enforcement- the prevention and detection of crime.
      Rushcliffe Borough Council believes that releasing this information would increase the likelihood of :
      • Empty properties being lived in by squatters. Squatting in a residential property is now a criminal offence.
      • Empty properties being targeted by vandals or graffiti artists and stripped of materials such as roofing, cables or piping, or otherwise vandalised or damaged.
      • Empty properties being targeted by criminals or terrorists for example allowing them to hide or store the proceeds of crime, or criminal or terrorist materials In the Information Tribunal Case No. EA/2011/0007 (Voyias and LB Camden), the Tribunal was satisfied that the evidence was that disclosing this information would have the effect of assisting at least some of those wishing to engage in squatting, leading to an increase in the this. Squatting in residential property is a criminal offence which shows the
      negative nature of squatting and crimes such as criminal damage that are often associated with it. In Voyias the Tribunal concluded that an increase in squatting would also lead to various categories of associated criminal activity. As a result the Tribunal found that section 31(1) (a) was engaged in that it was likely that disclosure of the disputed information would have a negative impact on the prevention of crime.

FOI Responses Housing 2021