Below is an extract from a report to DMT April 2015, Title-Private Sector Empty Property Plan 2015-19, Environment and Development Services.
“8) Finance
8.1) The council will be rewarded through the New Homes Bonus for reducing the number of long-term empty properties (i.e those that have been empty for over six months) in the borough. Rotherham Council has been successful in receiving approximately £5m in New Homes Bonus to date. However these funds have been allocated to meet internal budget pressures and are not available for financing the initiatives highlighted in the Private Sector Empty Property Plan.”
In other words we are getting Government money to use to bring empty properties back into use but we will spend it any where bar where it is needed. This is going on whilst councils like my own, Dinnington, are left with the misery caused by long term empty houses. It would seem that the Commissioners and Read have done little to change the way that the corrupt council that is Rotherham is run.
Dave Smith
Rotherham Politics 
Well firstly, I’d like to see the calculations that resulted in RMBC trousering five million quid.
Secondly, why is it we need thousands of new homes on greenbelt, when there are apparently so many empty dwellings in the borough?
Thirdly, what are these internal budget pressures – Commissioners’ fees??
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Group 4 have said they are sending so many immigrants to designated, dispersal town Rotherham because it has such a lot of available, cheap housing!
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Mal, Is it this Asylum-seekers story you are referring to? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-25741778
But yes it was the availability of low cost rental housing that was why G4S was doing it.
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At Dinnington Town Council meeting David Richmond director of housing and neighbourhood services told us that RMBC are buying brand new houses in Rotherham for £75k but wouldn’t say who they were for.
Dave Smith
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Did David Richmond tell you the debt the council has on housing is over three hundred million pounds and nothing is being paid of the capital debt they are just paying interest on the capital sum why don’t they let all the empty houses and use the money to reduce the coincil debt which totals overall almost five hundred millon pounds this is a council who are bragging how they are changing
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Not sure that all the empty homes being referred to are counci houses. A lot are run – down private properties in places such as Eastwood and Masbrough, owned by Pakistani taxi driver/landlords. Saint John’s House at Masbrough, which was sheltered housing owned by Anchor Housing Trust and was cleared of its tenants by them and put up for auction and was bought by an Asian property company an now is occupied by a truly United Nations clientele.
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The report I refer to is specifically about private housing
Dave Smth
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