OWNERS of homes left empty for long periods of time in Northumberland are set to face council tax bills four times higher than the going rate.

Northumberland County Council is taking advantage of changes in national legislation in an attempt to bring these properties back into use.

The new scheme, which was approved by the authority’s cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, introduces additional empty home premiums (EHP) from April next year for properties that are ‘unoccupied and substantially unfurnished’.

Currently, owners of long-term empty homes pay a 50 per cent premium on top of their full council tax bill.

From April 2020, the premium will be 100 per cent for properties unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for between two and five years and 200 per cent for those in that state for longer than five years.

An additional 300 per cent premium for homes left empty for more than 10 years will come into force from April 2021.

Introducing the report Coun. Nick Oliver, the cabinet member for corporate services, said: “We have probably all got them in our wards – empty homes which become a blight on our communities.”

He explained that there is a degree of support available for those owners who may need help to bring homes back into use.