A COUPLE who are struggling to redevelop a bungalow for their disabled daughter will be stung with a council tax hike aimed at landlords who leave properties unoccupied.
Clive Atherton, his partner Marie Gallagher and her daughter Meghan, 27, who has a degenerative condition which leaves her unable to walk unaided say they hoped to move into their new home in Higher Croft Road, Lower Darwen, as soon as possible.
The couple, who currently live on Bolton Road, bought the house three years ago and have been working on renovating it and building an extension where Meghan can live.
But from April 15, the council tax bill on the new house will double and Mr Atherton says this will leave the family unable to afford to finish the renovations needed.
He said: “We have put everything we have got into this house over the years. We are not far from completing the project and hope to be done in the next six months.
“We understand why the council has this policy and if anything, we agree with it. But I think in our circumstances, it is not in the spirit of the policy.
“We are not landlords out to make a profit. We are doing this house up to live in it and we are struggling financially to get everything finished.
“At the moment we live in a normal semi-detached house and it can take Meghan as long as half an hour just to get up the stairs.”
Blackburn with Darwen Council’s empty homes policy means houses which are unoccupied for two years see their council tax bills double.
The policy is aimed at tackling problem landlords who leave homes empty and in danger of falling into disrepair.
Following the Government granting flexibility on the amount of discounts awarded to empty properties in 2013, Blackburn with Darwen Council introduced a premium charge of 50 per cent on properties that had been empty for more than two years.
And proposals to increase the premium charge from 50 per cent to 100 per cent were approved at a council forum meeting in January.
Director of finance for Blackburn with Darwen Council, Louise Mattinson, said: “We are already working hard to support this family and we will continue to explore all options.
“The additional council tax is only charged after a property has been empty for more than two years."
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