Tuesday March 10th 2026
New housing estates like this one at Letham Mains in Haddington have grown at pace in recent years
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Extra funds raised by increasing council tax on empty and second homes in East Lothian will be used to pay for more council housing.
Councillors this week approved plans to create a new Empty Homes Officer post to bring vacant houses back into use as well as using money brought in from the increased tax to help bring in Scottish Government grants to buy new housing to help families out of temporary accommodation.
The local authority last year agreed to scrap huge discounts given to owners of hundreds of homes which lie empty for long periods in the county.
At the time it was estimated more than 600 houses were vacant with no sign of being brought back into use.
Councillors agreed to reduce the time properties could lie empty without paying double council tax from three years to one as well as reducing a 50 per cent discount applied after six months vacant to just 10 per cent.
At a meeting of the council’s Labour administration cabinet, elected members were asked to approve using the additional council tax money brought in under the new rules to appoint a new officers whose task would be to work with owners to bring their empty houses back into use.
A report by officers said the Scottish Government had agreed to match fund a two year post for the Empty Homes Officer.
It also said that grant funding was available to the council to support its work to tackle the county’s affordable housing emergency with just under £300,000 already drawn down, topped up by £529,000 of local authority money to buy three properties.
The report said: “It is recommended to use a further £750,000 of the income generated from the council tax fund to ensure we maximise the Scottish Government grant and meet the policy intent to help families out of temporary
accommodation.”
The report added: “East Lothian is in a unique position, being one of the fastest growing authorities with high house prices, high rents, high tenancy sustainment with low turnover of stock.
“This fund will help to target the purchase of both smaller homes and larger family homes to help provide permanent accommodation to allow families and single homeless to move on from temporary accommodation. It will also help to invest in measures to bring empty homes back into use and help mitigate the current affordable housing emergency. ”
Councillors unanimously agreed to let the tax be used to help find new homes for families and fund the new officer post.
Councillor Andy Forrest, cabinet housing spokesperson, said: “We have a number of empty properties across the county and this post will be able to target the owners to help bringing them back into use, rather than just lying vacant.”
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