EMPTY HOMES SCHEMES (Hansard, 8 July 1996)

§ Mrs. Maddock
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
The hour is late, so I fear that this matter will not be allowed the time that it merits. The new clause seeks to give every local authority a duty to formulate a strategy to deal with empty homes in its area. This is an important part of a renovation and renewal strategy for every area of the country. To improve appearances and discourage crime in any area, empty properties must be filled up as quickly as possible. Boarded up homes attract vandals and fall into disrepair more quickly. They are also an inefficient way to use our housing stock. Nobody likes empty properties. People who live next door to them do not like them; people who must walk past them when they are vandalised and derelict do not like them; and the homeless are rightly angry at the waste of resources.
The vast majority of the 800.000 empty properties in Britain today are in the private sector. The Government's setting up of the empty homes agency and their housing partnership fund have provided some—although not enough—progress. Local authorities are the key to tackling the problem. Many have good empty homes schemes and much has been achieved by publicising how they work. Many privately owned properties have thus been brought back into use. Housing associations, as managing agents, have been useful in that respect.
The new clause does not seek to bind local authorities, but would require them to have a strategy for dealing with all the empty properties in their areas and to say exactly how they intend to go about dealing with them. It would allow them to be innovative locally and use their own ideas in dealing with the problem. Local authorities are required to have strategies on many matters, and they are usually far more tightly drawn than my proposal. The new clause would require local authorities to look at all type of housing: private sector; housing association; and its own stock.
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The Government have far too many empty properties. The void rate in Ministry of Defence properties is 20 per cent. and has long been a scandal—[Interruption.] I hear muttering from the Conservative Benches. It is the highest percentage of any sector. Last week, I listened with interest to a debate in another place and heard the Minister admit the incompetence of the Ministry of Defence in housing matters. He used that as the main justification for the housing sale. It is incredible that the Government use their irresponsibility to justify selling off those properties.
The new clause would spread good practice in tackling the problem of empty properties. Many councils do good work, and I commend to the House the work done by New Forest district council which, between last autumn and April, by having a decent empty homes strategy, brought 75 properties back into use.
The proposal is an important part of urban renewal, and I hope that the Minister will respond constructively.

§ Mr. Clappison
I have some sympathy with the objective that the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mrs. Maddock) sets out to achieve. I certainly sympathise with the importance that she attaches to this subject.
I invite the hon. Lady to bear in mind our strategic approach to private sector renewal and how empty homes will fit into that. That strategy, which will in many cases include a specific empty homes strategy, will form the basis of a local authority's bid for resources as part of its housing investment programme. The allocation of available resources between authorities will take account of each authority's strategy and of its past performance in dealing with all types of private sector housing renewal.
We recognise that local authorities have a key role to play in encouraging the re-use of empty properties. That is why we are providing a grant to the Empty Homes Agency to expand and train a network of regional associates to work with local authorities on their strategy for unoccupied residential and potential residential properties.
Notwithstanding the hon. Lady's comments, the new clause would fetter local authorities' discretion in finding appropriate solutions to the problem in their areas. It is for each authority to find its own strategy in the light of its knowledge of the area. Although I sympathise with what the hon. Lady seeks to achieve, I believe that it is unnecessary. Therefore, I invite her to withdraw her new clause.

§ Mrs. Maddock
I listened to the Under-Secretary with interest. It is unfortunate that the Minister for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency did not reply; he has worked with me in involving local authorities in bringing forward various strategies that are duties. If a strategy is a duty, facts and figures are put together to enable authorities to target their resources. That was the idea behind my Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 and the new clause. I am disappointed by the Minister's reply. Due to the lateness of the hour, I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion.