Decision details

Debates are one of the most frequent items of business on the Plenary agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:

• Opposition party debates on a topic of their choice;

Other than in the case of Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their frequency are determined by the Business Committee

The item started at 16.36

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5167 Aled Roberts (North Wales)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes that, according to Stats Wales, there are an estimated 31,644 empty homes in Wales, with 23,287 classed as long-term empty dwellings.

2. Welcomes the intention of the Welsh Government’s ‘Houses into Homes’ initiative, including the additional £5million invested into the scheme as a result of the budget deal with the Welsh Liberal Democrats in 2012-13.

3. Welcomes the progress in reducing the number of empty homes in Wales by 2,000, but believes that more must be done to develop a cohesive empty homes strategy which includes:

a) establishing a Welsh Empty Homes website to share advice and guidance and raise the profile of the empty homes initiative;

b) a full time equivalent Empty Homes Officer in each local authority to drive forward the initiative;

c) simplifying the legislation and procedures surrounding Empty Dwelling Management Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders;

d) updating empty homes good practice guidance to local authorities’

e) allowing councils greater flexibility to impose punitive council tax rates on long term empty homes;

f) encouraging the sharing of best practice examples and facilitating partnership working between local authorities; and

g) looking at an incentive scheme for local councils for every long term private sector home brought back into use, similar to the UK Government’s ‘New Homes Bonus Scheme’.

The motion without amendment was agreed.