Angus and Dundee City councils are planning to team up in a bid to tackle the problem of empty homes.
The councils will enter into a shared services agreement with Shelter Scotland to appoint an officer to focus on the issue of empty properties for the next two years.
The post will cost just over £48,000 a year, with the Scottish Government providing funding of £20,000 in the first year and £10,000 in the second year.
Angus and Dundee City councils will provide the remaining funding of £14,177 each in the first year and £19,177 each in the second year.
The role will be full time, with the officer splitting their time equally between the two local authorities.
Shelter Scotland will recruit the role and provide the officer with access to resources, policies and procedures developed through the existing shared services projects and the Scottish Empty Homes Network.
In a report which went before councillors in Angus who approved the proposal, head of planning and place Vivien Smith said: “Empty homes represent a wasted resource in Angus (as elsewhere) and can also cause significant problems for neighbours and surrounding communities.
“Limited staff resources have inhibited our ability to develop dedicated services for this type of work and it is recognised that working proactively with owners to bring properties back into use can be time-consuming and complex.”
Since 2010, the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, funded by the Scottish Government and coordinated by Shelter Scotland, has been working with councils and their partners to develop services aimed at bringing private-sector empty homes back into use.
One focus of the partnership is to support local authorities to develop a shared services approach to empty homes work, providing dedicated resources to work with owners.
There are currently four such projects operating in Scotland, covering 10 local authorities.
Angus Council has a successful Empty Homes Loan Fund Project in operation, which is funded by a loan of £120,000 from the Scottish Government.
This fund provides interest-free loans to owners of empty homes, who are required to let the homes at an affordable rent for a minimum of five years.
Ms Smith added: “The current loan fund of £120,000 will be fully utilised by the end of the financial year and will have brought seven empty homes back into use by 31 March 2015.
“Although the success highlights that there is an appetite for this type of funding in Angus, the provision of loan funding represents just one option to support owners of empty homes.”
Last year, Angus Council controversially introduced a policy of imposing additional council tax on properties that have been empty for one year.
Previously, these homes were eligible for a 10% discount in council tax but in October were required to pay an additional charge of 50% and from next month, they will have to pay 100% extra council tax.
At present, there are more than 450 long-term empty properties in Angus affected by additional council tax charge.
From October to the end of this month, the projected additional income is £80,000. In the year starting from next month, that figure is expected to rise to £300,000.
Additional revenue raised will go towards helping to increase affordable housing, including funding the continuation of the Empty Homes Loan Fund.