§ Mr. GallieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress local authorities are making in reducing the numbers of vacant dwellings which they own.
§ Mr. Robert B. JonesI am pleased to announce that, in response to the Government's encouragement, local authorities have maintained the progress made in recent years. For the ninth successive year, there has been a drop in the number of empty homes.
As at 1 April 1994, the total number of empty council homes stood at some 70,300, representing 1.9 per cent. of the stock. This is a 40 per cent. reduction since 1985, when the number stood at over 116,000.
Within the overall total "management vacants"—those ready for occupation immediately or after minor works—stood at some 40,600. Management vacants provide an indication of the empty homes available to meet housing need. I am placing in the Library a list of local authorities ranked on the basis of the numbers of management vacants as at 1 April 1994.
I want to see the best use of existing council stock. An empty home is a wasted resource which could provide a home for people who need it.
I look to local authorities to sustain their efforts to keep their own empty dwellings to a minimum and to develop strategies which help to bring empty properties in all tenures back into use.