Stunell urges public to report empty homes
Communities minister Andrew Stunell has urged the public to report empty homes to local authorities to take advantage of the financial incentives being offered to tackle the problem.
This comes after the government announced in November money from the New Homes Bonus scheme would be directed to local authorities.
It will match the council tax raised for every empty property brought back into use and councils can use this cash as they wish.
‘Long-term empty properties easily fall into disrepair, and attract the squatters, vandalism and anti-social behaviour that bring down our local neighbourhoods,’ Mr Stunell said.
‘It’s vital that local communities, councils and owners of empty properties work together to bring properties back into use and begin to tackle this problem that is blighting our local communities.’
There are about 300,000 long-term empty properties across the UK, he added.
David Ireland, chief executive of campaign group Empty Homes said: ‘Most authorities deal with empty homes reactively, so we would welcome the invitation for people to report properties in their area.’
The government also gave £100 million in October last year, in the comprehensive spending review, to housing associations to bring empty properties back into use.
