Do local authorities have enough power to deal with dilapidated properties - and are they using them?

They were the questions asked in the House of Keys on Tuesday when Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer came under scrutiny over whether his department had armed local authorities sufficiently to force owners of run-down buildings to improve them or to carry out repairs themselves.

Mr Harmer said his department intended to review, next year, the effectiveness of extended powers his department gave to local authorities in 2016.

But David Ashford (Douglas North) said: ’If all the powers that the local authorities have, even those local authorities that are using all the powers, are so wonderful and doing the job, why do we still have dilapidated buildings around the island, some of which have been vacant and in a dilapidated state for in excess of 30 years?’

The additional powers allow local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices where a property owner has failed to comply with an order requiring them to deal with a dilapidated property.

The legislation does ’where an owner does not comply with a notice, enable the local authority to carry out the necessary work and reclaim those costs from the property owner’, said Mr Harmer.

He added: ’The department does have the ability to extend these powers by way of enabling local authorities to compulsorily purchase dilapidated and ruinous properties, by bringing forward a bill.

’However, before doing so, the department must be able to satisfy itself that such an extension of powers is warranted.’

He said that the new powers had not been in place long enough to reach a decision on whether they were sufficient. The minister pledged: ’The department remains committed to assisting local authorities to deal with the issue of dilapidated buildings, but to make a commitment to extend the powers at this time would be premature.’

But Mr Ashford lamented the time it was taking, saying all he wanted the department to do was to consider having the ’exact same powers that have been in the UK available to local authorities for 32 years - and the sky has not fallen in in those 32 years’.

Lawrie Hooper (LibVannin, Ramsey) asked if the DoI was satisfied local authorities were using the powers, but Mr Harmer said that would be part of the review.

Department of Infrastructure member Tim Baker (Ayre and Michael), came to Mr Harmer’s defence.

’Rather than criticising the department and other government bodies for their action to date, we should be focusing on the owners of these buildings, who should be taking responsibility for their condition.’