Treasury Minister says local authorities need support tackling dilapidated properties

Treasury Minister Alex Allinson says Island communities need a ‘range’ of options to be able to deal with empty and dilapidated properties.

It follows a successful motion from Jason Moorhouse during this week's Tynwald sitting to make owners of these buildings pay 20 percent extra in rates.

Dr Allinson proposed an amendment to cover all empty properties, which was also approved, and says he’ll report back in November.

He says a lot of local authorities feel ‘powerless’ trying to tackle the issue: