CHANGES to align council tax rates ahead of the formation of the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council have been approved, despite opposition from a Christchurch councillor who said that some of the changes “penalised” residents of the borough.

Several recommendations for council tax discounts and support schemes were approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the BCP shadow executive committee including the removal of a short-term 50 per cent empty home rate which exists in Christchurch.

The move to remove discounts for properties undergoing major repairs and empty dwellings is expected to generate the new council £132,000 a year.

However, Cllr Trish Jamieson opposed the two proposals saying that Christchurch residents were being “forced” into the same system as Bournemouth and Poole.

She said: “While I agree in principle, I cannot support recommendations one and two [the removal of council tax discounts in Christchurch].

“This is penalising Christchurch residents by forcing them into the same discounts as Bournemouth and Poole.”

A report to the committee said that the move would “ensure consistency with other local authorities” and “provide an incentive to landlords” to have their properties occupied.

Neither Bournemouth nor Poole council offer council tax discounts on unoccupied homes and the reduced rate in Christchurch only applies for the first month.

The committee agreed that it was not necessary to carry out a public consultation on the proposed changes.

Other recommendations including increasing council tax premiums to 100 per cent for homes unoccupied for between two and five years, 200 per cent if left for between five and 10 years and 300 per cent for longer periods were unanimously supported by the committee.

Cllr John Beesley said that the changes were not about bringing more money into the council but about reducing the number of unoccupied homes across the conurbation.

“We welcome these changes not as a revenue-raising exercise but as an incentive to bring those homes back into use,” he said.

The committee also approved a recommendation to introduce a “consistent” local council tax support scheme across the new council’s area.

The changes will not impact people whose homes have been left unoccupied while they receive care elsewhere, including nursing homes.

Members of the shadow executive committee were also told on Tuesday that as part of work in levelling out rates across the conurbation, officers were aligning its council tax support and universal credit processes.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has requested that council tax across the new council area is brought into line within 24 months of its formation on April 1, 2019.