Council trying to sell house over £800 debt

Cumberland Council has been criticised for its heavy-handed use of the enforced purchase powers

A council is attempting to sell a privately-owned house to repay an £800 council tax debt.

Cumberland Council confirmed it has begun an enforced purchase process on the property which has stood empty for 20 years.

The former Carlisle City Council had tried for years to bring the property back into use but the owner "refused to engage" over the property's future.

Critics have said the forced sale of the building should be taken as a "warning to everyone" who owes the council money.

'Unsightly property'

Under the enforced purchase process, the property will be put up for sale and the council will reclaim the £792 it is owed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said enforced sales were only carried if it had exhausted every avenue to work with owners to "resolve any debt or unsightly condition issues" with the property.

A council spokesperson said: "We also have to balance this with the interests of the wider public - both the local residents who have to live with an unsightly property nearby, as well as all Cumberland residents who have to pay for the continued costs and diverted resources associated with dealing with any anti-social behaviour a property in this state can attract.

A council report stated the property had "caused distress" to neighbours due to its neglect and was "at risk of attracting anti-social behaviour".

'A dangerous precedent'

Details of which property is being sold have not been revealed.

But Jonathan Davies, founder of the Cumbria First political party, criticised the council's use of the enforced purchase process over such a small sum.

He said: “The discovery of this forced sale by Cumberland Council over a £792 debt owed to the council should be a warning to everyone in Cumberland."

He added: "This action that was not taken in a public democratic way but behind closed doors sets a dangerous precedent for the council with future debts individuals owe to Cumberland Council.

"You have to wonder just how far the council will now go to fill the piggy bank.”