Sunderland Council’s empty properties price hike is robbery

This is daylight robbery.

There could be many reasons why a property hasn’t sold.

Perhaps it is in a bad area or the owner has died. Perhaps the next-of-kin can’t be found to sell it.

The owner could have died intestate, which could hold things up further. Perhaps it belongs to someone who has gone into a home. Perhaps then they should try to sell it so that the council or home don’t try to claim it when they die.

Empty properties don’t have bins emptied and there is nobody in them to benefit from things we pay rates for so I think 50% was bad enough.

The Echo quotes Councillor Paul Stewart as saying that there are people who could be buying or renting one of those properties.

They should have thought of this when they sold houses in Pennywell and Ford Estate to Gentoo, who then razed them to the ground. I think this was more than five years ago and I suppose they still haven’t built homes in these areas.

Name withheld