Leeds is top council for tackling empty homes » Housing » 24dash.com

Leeds City Council remains at the forefront of efforts to bring the country’s estimated 700,000 empty homes back to use.

Through a combination of enforcement action and working with landlords, in the last three years Leeds City Council has brought back into use more long-term empty properties than any other local authority in the UK – 1,165 so far this year, 2,377 last year – and is on target to maintain its position as the most successful authority at tackling the problem of empty properties.

The council’s work is primarily targeted in the areas that have the highest level of empty properties such as East End Park, Cross Green, Harehills, Chapeltown, Beeston and Holbeck.

The council has been proactive in tackling the causes and effects of empty properties and in October 2006 the Council’s Executive Board approved the Empty Property Strategy, which is set within the wider framework of regeneration going on in the city.

Councillor Les Carter, executive board for housing, said: “We are rightly proud that we are at the forefront in making sure empty homes are returned to use, but there is still much work to be done.

“The cost of these houses, both to the community and to the council, is too high and we took the decision that something had to be done.

“With pressure for more affordable housing, returning long-term empty properties to use is vital and we will continue to work to ensure we tackle the problem head on.”

Whilst there is no doubt that Leeds has enjoyed significant economic growth and greater prosperity in recent years, there are still pockets of the city hit by deprivation and decline.

This is characterised by high level of empty properties – such properties often attract anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping, graffiti and general vandalism while also becoming havens for drug dealing and other criminal activity.

Empty properties have an adverse effect on people’s perceptions of a neighbourhood and this in turn deters businesses and other organisations from trading and investing in an area.

Empty properties are ultimately a wasted resource, especially when there is an overall shortage in available, affordable housing in the city.