Haringey is to scrap council tax discounts for unoccupied houses in a bid to make substantial savings.

The council says the move will redistribute the burden of council tax and help provide services and support for the most vulnerable residents.

Under the current system, unoccupied properties that are not furnished are eligible for a full council tax discount for one month.

But the council claims people with these properties still benefit from its services and should therefore pay the full amount in tax.

Council tax discounts for vacant properties in need of or undergoing major repair or structural alteration will also be axed.

The move will bring Haringey in line with neighbouring boroughs such as Enfield, Islington and Barnet, which have already scrapped the discounts.

It will save the council more than £450,000 a year – some of which will support the bid to scrap council tax for the borough’s poorest.

And the move could help to boost housing supply by encouraging people to bring properties back on to the market as soon as possible.

Speaking at a meeting of Haringey’s cabinet last night (August 14), Councillor Patrick Berryman, cabinet member for finance, said people with properties currently eligible for the discounts “benefit from other taxpayers in the borough”.

He added: “With that in mind, this is a fair policy and also raises a significant sum for the council towards mitigating some of the costs of helping some of our own most in-need families.”

Councillors approved the measures, which will be put to a vote at a meeting of the full council.