The Council is providing an update on the continued success of the programme of bringing empty homes in RCT back into use.
In the summer of 2019, the Welsh Government’s Valleys Taskforce committed £10million to fund bringing Empty Homes back into use, with RCT Council appointed as the lead Authority following the success of the Council’s own innovative scheme in helping local residents to bring empty homes back into use.
Rhondda Cynon Taf will continue to administer and finalise valid applications on behalf of eight Local Authorities up until the 31st March 2023. Despite the challenges that have been faced because of the Coronavirus national emergency, great progress and outcomes have been achieved to date.
485 applications have been received, of which 263 (54%) are in RCT. A total of £7m is currently committed across the eight Local Authority areas, of which £3.9m (43%) is committed in RCT. 328 homes have been brought back in to used so far, of which 193 (59%) are in RCT.
Building on the success of the scheme, the Council is committed to continuing with its own Empty Homes Grant scheme, offering financial support to residents across the County Borough to continue to bring empty homes back in to use.
Since April 2021 the Council has supported over 130 valid applications, investing over £2M in bringing empty homes back into use. All grants are currently progressing with the support of the Local Authority.
The grant is continuously kept under review and the Council’s Housing Strategy & Investment Service continuously seek to explore various options and available funding streams to offer the grant to residents and bring empty homes across RCT back into use
To be notified of further availability in the future, please complete the following Expression of Interest form. Expression of interest - Apply for an Empty Homes Grant (rctcbc.gov.uk)
Should you require further information, please e-mail the team at: EmptyHomesGrant@rctcbc.gov.uk.
Councillor Mark Norris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Prosperity, said: “The Council is committed to continuing to take action to reduce Empty Properties via a 5 year capital investment programme in line with the priorities of this administration, offering financial support to residents across the County Borough to continue to bring empty homes back in to use.
“The scheme has not only brought empty properties back into use but has also supported the foundations of our local economies by providing work for small local businesses in the construction sector. The retrofitting element also means it is supporting our decarbonisation agenda while also vitally reducing energy bills for the future.
“We are committed in Rhondda Cynon Taf to ensuring the ongoing vitality of our communities, and tackling the blight of empty homes is a challenge we are determined to continue taking on”.
Posted on 14/07/2022