North East Lincolnshire councillors to debate action on empty homes
They'll debate actions to tackle long-term empty homes
Councillors are to debate a series of actions to tackle long-term empty homes in North East Lincolnshire and transform them into high-quality affordable housing for local people.
The Labour opposition group is putting forward a motion at July’s full council meeting on the topic and to explore the council becoming a social housing provider.
The proposal, put forward by Labour group leader Cllr Emma Clough (Heneage Ward), and deputy group leader Cllr Karl Wilson (Labour & Co-op – West Marsh), notes there are currently 2,819 empty homes in North East Lincolnshire, with 1,348 properties empty for more than six months. This is based on Government data in the council’s Housing Strategy 2023-2028.
It also points out the borough has almost 4,800 households on the council’s housing register, with nearly 500 identified as in urgent or high housing need.
The motion suggests tackling both issues, with ramped-up efforts to tackle empty homes, including development of a programme of acquisition of long-term empty properties.
An Empty Homes Regeneration Fund would also be created to refurbish homes, funded by a mixture of Government cash or external grants, borrowing where appropriate and receipts from property income.
Meanwhile, it also calls for a report to look at the feasibility and financial implications of the council becoming a social housing provider, either directly or through a wholly-owned housing company.
“Every long-term empty home is a missed opportunity to provide a secure and affordable home for someone who needs one,” said Cllr Clough. “At a time when thousands of households are waiting for housing and homelessness pressures remain significant, we need to look at every option available to us.”
She said that bringing empty homes back into use was not just about much-needed housing, but “also about regenerating our communities, improving neighbourhoods, reducing anti-social behaviour and making the best possible use of the homes and infrastructure we already have.
The council already works with property owners to tackle empty homes, but the scale of the challenge means we should consider whether a more direct approach is needed.”
She said she is calling on the council to look at buying and refurbishing long-term empty properties and retaining them as permanent affordable housing for local people. “This would be a significant step, and any programme would need to be financially sustainable and legally robust.
“But we should be ambitious in exploring new ways to address the housing crisis and make sure that empty homes can once again become homes for the people of North East Lincolnshire.”
Current council efforts on empty homes in the borough involve advice, grants, loans and enforcement action on private property owners to encourage empty homes to be used again, as well as council tax surcharges. It has in the past also helped facilitate empty homes purchases by East Marsh United, and compulsory purchased a small number of empty properties itself.
Subject to the council becoming a social housing provider and any necessary changes to Housing Allocation Policy, Labour’s proposal at full council calls for prioritisation of homes brought back into use for care leavers, Armed Forces veterans, victims of domestic abuse, residents leaving temporary accommodation, disabled residents requiring adapted housing and key workers. There would also be an annual report to full council on progress made on empty homes.
Labour’s proposal is not the only motion due to be debated at full council on July 25. Reform UK have previously trailed far in advance their proposal to ask the Government to remove North East Lincolnshire from the Home Office’s compulsory asylum dispersal scheme.
Its wording has also proposed withdrawing from all voluntary refugee or humanitarian resettlement schemes.
The Conservative opposition group has also submitted a proposal on the continued wait for a direct rail link to London. Its proposal is for the council to write to the new Prime Minister “setting out the clear business case for restoring a direct London rail service to North East Lincolnshire and requesting Government intervention to support its delivery”.