HC Deb 19 May 1986 vol 98 cc81-2W
Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if pursuant to his reply of 16 January,Official Report, column 662, he will list the 50 English housing authorities which owned the highest number of the 13,500 dwellings which had been vacant for more than two years; and what percentage of the stock this figure represents.

Mr. John Patten

The 51 English local authorities which, in their housing investment programme returns, reported owning more than 20 dwellings vacant for more than two years (including those which were closed) at 1 April 1985, are as listed:

Local Authority Vacant more than two years
Number Per cent. of stock
1 Liverpool 2314 3.65
2 Manchester 1058 1.31
3 Hackney 860 1.88
4 Tower Hamlets 528 2.83
5 Sunderland 491 1.07

Local Authority Vacant more than two years
Number Per cent. of stock
6 Newham 452 1.45
7 Sheffield 348 0.38
8 Lewisham 324 0.77
9 Oldham 317 1.21
10 Lambeth 291 0.60
11 Camden 275 0.81
12 Knowsley 252 0.95
13 Salford 233 0.55
14 Islington 227 0.55
15 Westminster 207 0.89
16 North Tyneside 190 0.66
17 Brent 180 0.83
18 Burnley 176 2.40
19 Corby 172 1.69
20 Calderdale 171 1.08
21 Gateshead 169 0.47
22 Sandwell 161 0.29
23 Test Valley 146 1.92
24 Leeds 146 0.16
25 Wolverhampton 139 0.34
26 Bradford 138 0.37
27 Haringey 137 0.57
28 Newcastle upon Tyne 131 0.28
29 Coventry 130 0.51
30 Dudley 125 0.34
31 Wandsworth 112 0.29
32 Rochdale 107 0.49
33 Birmingham 78 0.06
34 Hammersmith and Fulham 66 0.35
35 Doncaster 64 0.18
36 Kensington and Chelsea 58 0.65
37 Rotherham 58 0.17
38 West Lancashire 54 0.48
39 Waltham Forest 52 0.25
40 Greenwich 50 0.14
41 Preston 46 0.40
42 Leicester 44 0.13
43 Thurrock 33 0.21
44 Darlington 32 0.38
45 Bolsover 29 0.34
46 Hartlepool 27 0.24
47 Ashford 26 0.29
48 Tonbridge and Malling 25 0.35
49 East Staffordshire 24 0.34
50 Ealing 21 0.10
51 Warrington 21 0.16

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if, pursuant to his reply of 15 January, Official Report, columns 573–6, he will give a breakdown of the numbers of dwellings shown in sections D1 and D13 as vacant and available for letting which had been in this condition for (a) more than three months, (b) more than six months and (c) more than one year;

(2) if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Perry Barr, of 28 January, Official Report, column 470, he will list for each housing authority the numbers of empty dwellings vacant for more than one year and which had been available for letting for more than one year.

Mr. John Patten

Information is not collected about how long local authority dwellings vacant at any date have been available for letting.

Mr. Rooker

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 50 most deprived housing authorities as measured by his Department using the housing Z score, giving the figure for each authority.

Mr. John Patten

I shall answer this question shortly.