Member Article

2,000 properties to be back to use in Liverpool

Liverpool has produced a plan to tackle the problem of 2,000 empty properties in the region.

The government is being asked to approve a £5 million plan which will use a range of initiatives including expanding the Homes for a Pound scheme.

The plan will include , establishing an empty homes task force, providing funds for acquiring properties, expanding the work on poorly maintained properties and making homes structurally sound.

The £5 million allocated for the scheme is coming from the council’s Capital programme and will be further enhanced by private investment, the recycling of funds through loan repayments, sales revenue, income from leases and charging owners for work carried out in default.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Empty homes are a blight on our communities and are a huge deterrent to people wanting to live in an area.

“We have made great progress in the last two years in bringing back 1,300 properties back into use across the city, but we are not complacent and know there is much more to do if we are to tackle this issue even further.

“We want to send out a strong message to the owners of empty properties that it is simply not acceptable to allow their homes to be a magnet for fly tipping, anti social behaviour and general blight.

“They owe it to the city and their neighbours to keep their homes in good condition, and if they don’t then we will take enforcement against them.”

Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for housing, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, said: “This commitment is in addition to the 1,000 homes we have already said we will bring back into use through our new strategic housing partnership with Redrow and Liverpool Mutual Homes.

“It takes to over 4,000 the number of empty properties we have either tackled or plan to bring back into use.

“Driving up the quality, standard and range of properties in the city is a priority, and this is just part of a much bigger picture such as the building of new homes and the introduction of landlord licensing to improve life for private sector tenants.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .