Empty Homes (Hansard, 27 March 1991)

§ Mr. Alistair Burt (Bury, North)
I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to enable residential property, unoccupied for a specified period and not offered for sale or let, to be transferred from the ownership of public landlords to the ownership of housing associations; to amend the law to provide incentives to private landlords to let empty residential property; and for connected purposes. There can be few hon. Members whose constituency work is untouched by the rising tide of homelessness. In my constituency experience, the number of people looking for accommodation from the local authority and from other public authorities has increased markedly in recent years.
It is easy to be judgmental and to seek to fix blame. but the honest answer is that the causes of the rise in the number of homeless families are many and it is not always easy to attach blame. Experience seems to confirm that marital breakdown and family break-up are the largest factors behind the increase in homeless applications to public sector housing bodies. It is easy to understand why. A married couple with two young children drift apart; automatically, one housing unit becomes two. The party with the children, usually the mother—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I know that hon. Members are waiting for the next debate, but they should listen to the submissions of the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt).

§ Mr. Burt
The party with the children, usually the mother, either remarries or finds another partner. All too often, sadly, there are problems between step-parents and children, and the children seek to leave as soon as they become old enough. The number of housing units represented by that one family becomes two, three, four or even more. Children—sometime barely 16 or 17—drift to larger cities, and the damage is done.
Whatever the causes of the breakdown and the pressure on those who seek to house the homeless, it is not merely enough to analyse or to lay blame—all that can be done must be done—and my Bill points a finger at something that may be responsible, empty properties.
The figures for the number of empty properties throughout this country are simply staggering. On the latest figures, this year 145,000 households were accepted as homeless. On 1 April 1990, there were 99,352 empty council properties, of which almost a quarter—23,000—had been empty for more than a year. Similar figures for housing associations suggest that more than 21,000 of their properties are vacant. Central Government have some 31,000 vacant properties that belong to the Department of Health, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office. But the private sector has more than 500,000 properties vacant. In my area of the north-west, 83,245 properties of all types are vacant.
I do not doubt for a moment that my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning, whose personal commitment to housing the homeless cannot he questioned by anyone in the House, is making strenuous efforts to tackle the problem.
Recently a number of measures have been introduced by the Government that are likely to assist. Changes to the Rent Acts are designed to provide incentives for landlords in the private sector to rent more property. Those changes 960 have ended the fears that have been associated with private renting for too long. Specific grants have recently been made to local authorities and housing associations, particularly in London and the south-east. The Government also believe that the ending of ring fencing in housing revenue accounts and the introduction of performance indicators will improve the accountability of managements. However, I do not believe that those measures, good though they are, are good enough. [HON. MEMBERS "Hear hear."] I knew that that point was significant, but perhaps not that significant.
I believe that the measures that the Government have introduced, good though they are, could be further improved. The Bill seeks to introduce a number of other measures. First, on the public sector, the Bill proposes that housing associations should be empowered to take over empty properties from the public sector, either from local councils or the Government. Secondly, the Bill would require the compiling of a register of empty property in all areas, which is necessary to identify what is empty and why. Thirdly, the Bill proposes a mixture of penalties and incentives in relation to private property. On incentives, it is possible that some further changes in the tax regime would make private renting more attractive. I believe that it is possible for housing associations to do more on management to deal with some of the difficulties and hassles. [Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman is making a submission to the House, but it is difficult even for me to hear what it is.

§ Mr. Burt
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I believe that it is also possible for housing associations to work more closely with private landlords to relieve them of some of the difficulties of management. There is also a large unexplored sector comprising of flats above shops that could be put to more use.
If those measures and the steps already taken by the Government were not enough, the Bill would also seek to give housing associations and possibly, in limited circumstances, local authorities a similar power to that in the public sector to take over empty private property for a time for use for housing. That step would be drastic and would have to be subject to extremely strict controls. The property would need to have been empty for some time and it would need to be proved before a court that the landlord had no further intention of bringing the property into use within a reasonable time. That provision might encourage a great deal more private property back into use without its powers being used.
Homelessness is not an easy problem to cure. The vast majority of people who work with the homeless—I am indebted to the empty property unit at Shelter for helping me to prepare the Bill—are stretched to the limit by circumstances beyond their control. All available means must be used to ensure that families, especially those including children, get the best possible chance of accommodation and move away from the hostels and bed-and-breakfast accommodation that absorb far too many financial resources and provide no living beyond existence for those forced to make use of them.
If we bring empty properties back into use, that will provide an excellent opportunity for the future. I wish the Government proposals that deal with the problem well, 961 but I urge the Government to consider some of the proposals advanced in the Bill, which I have pleasure to put before the House.