HYNDBURN councillors could follow their Blackburn counterparts' lead and increase council tax premiums for the borough’s long term empty homes.

Council bosses say Hyndburn has historically suffered from a higher than normal percentage of empty properties, with many left vacant for long periods and blight their neighbourhoods.

The council says it has attempted to address the number of empty properties for a considerable time as part of its efforts to regenerate Hyndburn and provide better places to live.

The government’s initially introduced a premium on council tax in 2013 for long term empty properties as a means of encouraging their occupation.

According to a report to go before a cabinet meeting next week, while the initial Government legislation has helped reduce the number of empty properties, there are still over 1,000 in the borough.

With effect from April, councils have been given further flexibility to increase the premium charge from 50 per cent to 100 cent for long term empty properties.

In addition, from 2020/21 councils will also be able to increase the premium for properties which have been vacant for five years or more to 200 per cent, and from 2021/22, increase the premium for properties which have been vacant for ten years or more to 300 per cent.

Customer contact manager Rachael Walker said: "At the time of writing, there are 237 properties subject to the 150 per cent Council Tax premium.

"Of those, 173 have been empty since 2015 which if they remain unoccupied will be subject to a maximum 300 per cent council tax liability in 2020/21 if these measures are introduced.

"Currently there are 64 properties which have been empty since 2011, which if they remain unoccupied will be subject to a maximum 400 per cent council tax liability in 2021 if these measures are introduced."