Homes From Empty Homes

The request to the Communities and Local Government department, carried out by property developer Fresh Start Living, found that the number of empty local authority homes has dropped by just 25,000 to 720,000 since 2006.

In 2006, there were 744,931 empty homes in the UK, with 314,719 remaining empty for a period of more than six months. By 2011 – the most recent statistics available – that had fallen by just 25,000, or 3 per cent, to 719,999 empty homes, with 278,911 remaining empty for more than six months.

In some regions, the number of empty local authority houses has increased. In Yorkshire and the Humber, the number of empty homes rose from 90,947 in 2006 to 91,478 five years later. Similarly in the east of England, the number of empty homes went from 68,509 in 2006 to 68,835 in 2011.

Charlie Cunningham, chief executive of Fresh Start Living, said local authorities should partner with developers to transform publicly-owned properties currently standing empty into decent, genuinely affordable homes.

He said: “England is currently suffering from a huge housing shortage, especially in terms of social rented housing. There isn’t a quick fix solution, but if local authorities partner with private developers to turn derelict or empty properties into new housing supply, together we can keep pace with increasing demand.”