A SURGERY aimed at identifying empty homes so they can be brought back into use will start in Winsford next month.

If you are an empty home owner or wish to complain about an empty property that is affecting you, you will now be able to so at the monthly Cheshire West and Chester Council Empty Home Surgeries.

They are on the first Tuesday of the month, starting from October 3, from 11am to 1pm at Winsford Library, and a member of the Empty Homes Team will be on-hand to offer advice and assistance.

Following the appointment of a new Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) officer, the Empty Homes Team have been able to significantly increase the number of properties considered for CPO action, with 29 properties on the current action list.

With many owners choosing to co-operate with the council before the matter gets as far as a CPO, the Empty Homes Team are seeing the number of empty properties brought back into use increasing year on year.

Last year, the team were able to bring 150 empty properties back into use through their intervention.

Cllr Angela Claydon, CWAC cabinet member for housing, said: “We are keen to make it clear to empty home owners that we are not afraid to use the legal powers available to us, including the use of compulsory purchases orders, which allow the council to take ownership of empty properties to ensure that they are re-occupied.

“Our Empty Homes Team is available to provide advice and support to home owners but where an owner is refusing to engage with us then we won’t hesitate to use enforcement measures to bring the boroughs empty homes back into use."

Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) are available to the council under the Housing Act 1985 to purchase houses to provide much needed accommodation.

The use of the power is always a last resort and is only used where the owner is not taking genuine steps towards bringing the property back in to use.

A priority scoring system is used to ensure that the worst properties and those empty the longest are targeted.

Market value compensation is paid to the property owner following the successful confirmation of a CPO, allowing the council to then sell the property to a new owner that is committed to renovating it and bringing it back into use.

The number of cases is set to increase as more properties are identified for action.