William Eichler 02 May 2019

Councils should ‘invest to save’ by supporting local regeneration schemes

Local authorities should support community-based neighbourhood regeneration approaches to help bring empty homes back into use.

The campaign group Action on Empty Homes’s new report, entitled ‘Community action on empty homes’, lays out plans for tackling the national rise in empty homes.

There are currently over 216,000 empty homes across the UK.

The report brings together lessons from a three-year project focused on six community-led projects bringing empty homes back to use.

It concluded that communities can deliver affordable housing from otherwise wasted resources, and in doing so rebuild essential community infrastructure.

It also said that councils should work with communities to develop neighbourhood improvement plans that tackle empty homes and the wider linked issues.

The report advised the Government to invest in areas with long-term empty homes to enable local authorities, social landlords and community-based organisations to buy or lease empty properties to refurbish them.

‘There are positive and valuable lessons in this report of interest to all those who are concerned with tackling the waste of empty homes across the country,’ said Brighid Carey, author of the report.

‘We want to encourage the creation of more community-based partnerships, to bring empty homes into use for local people and through doing so to help address the persistent underlying issues that keep people locked into poor housing and locked out of a safe, secure and affordable home.’

Will McMahon, director of Action on Empty Homes commented: ‘This new report is also about building the case for a new Government investment programme targeted at areas with high levels of empty homes.

‘We want an investment programme, delivered through local government, to support community-based approaches that refurbish empty properties, meet the needs of local communities and tackle the underlying causes of the high levels of empty homes.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Head of Democratic Services, Elections & Monitoring Officer

Harborough District Council
Grade 12 £67,236 – £71,223 plus £3000pa Statutory Officer Allowance
We are looking for an accomplished and proactive leader for our vacant post of Head of Democratic Services & Elections Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Recuriter: Harborough District Council

Residential Youth Practitioner

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
The Move On Service provides intensive supported housing accommodation for young people aged 16 to 18 years who are in the care of the local authority, working to create individual plans for those requiring additional support for their transition towards Witney
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Locality and Community Support Worker - North

Oxfordshire County Council
£37035 - £39513
The Locality & Community Support Service in North Oxfordshire are seeking to recruit a Locality Support Worker to join their Locality & Community Support Team. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic worker who is passionate about improving outc Banbury
Recuriter: Oxfordshire County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
£35,412 - £39,152 (pre-progression) / £40,777 - £45,091 (post-progression)
We are looking for social workers who have completed the assessed and supported year in employment to join our Families First teams, working with our Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
Grade 9 £35,412 - £39,152 (Pre-Progression) / Grade 11 £40,777 - £45,091 (Post-Progression)
Are you a nurturing social worker passionate about supporting parents so that children can remain with their birth family?     This could be the right Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner