Labour urged to come up with plan to fill 300,000 empty homes to tackle homelessness

Big Issue has backed demands for the Labour government to create a national strategy to fill up empty homes.

A coalition of 25 cross-sector organisations including social impact property fund manager Resonance, Shelter and Refuge as well as Big Issue have urged housing minister Matthew Pennycook to lay out a plan to refurbish 309,000 long-term empty homes in England.

It’s a cause Big Issue has been behind for some time. Back in 2015 we launched a Fill ‘em Up campaign urging local authorities to make the most of empty buildings.

With the government still set to unveil a wider housing strategy in its bid to build 1.5 million homes by the next parliament, the open letter calls for a specific plan to bring properties back into use.

It proposes a national acquisition fund, council tax ringfencing and stamp duty incentives as ways to encourage owners to get properties up to scratch.

John Bird, founder of Big Issue, said: “The 309,000 long-term empty homes in England present a smart opportunity to put much-needed homes back into a failing system.

“We cannot sit by while record numbers of families remain trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation, draining our public finances and threatening the prospects of thousands of children. 

“An empty homes strategy is the kind of bold, long-term prevention thinking we need to solve the homelessness crisis, rather than settling for sticking plasters.”

Ministers are facing an uphill task to hit the Labour manifesto promise of building 1.5 million new homes by the next general election.

The coalition argues that bringing homes classed as long-term empty is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to increase housing supply.

Read more:

• Empty council-owned buildings ‘could pave way for 25,000 new homes’
• The first-ever World Vacant Homes Day is putting focus on bringing empty homes back into use
• Labour aims to halve number of rough sleepers by 2029 with new £3.5bn homelessness strategy

Making the most of existing stock also offers an opportunity to provide settled housing for the most vulnerable, including families experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic abuse, while stimulating employment and contributing to net-zero objectives.

Adam Cliff, secretary of the Empty Homes Network, added: “With over 300,000 homes sitting stagnant while thousands of families remain trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation, we are overlooking a ready-made solution to the housing crisis.

“We’re asking the government to stop looking the other way and give local councils the funding and authority they need to turn these properties back into real homes for local people.”

The coalition letter recommends that the strategy should include a fully-funded local authority duty to investigate and act on long-term empty home complaints.

But it has also urged the government to offer national financial initiatives, including a loan scheme and a national acquisition fund.

Tax incentives, such as reducing stamp duty for purchasers who use properties to provide social housing or pathways out of temporary accommodation, could also help mobilise the use of vacant properties to tackle the housing crisis.

Council tax premium revenue specifically for local housing initiatives should also be ringfenced, the group said.

Daniel Brewer, CEO of Resonance, said: “The quickest and most sustainable way to house those in need is to unlock the potential of the buildings we already have.

“By implementing a national empty homes strategy, the government can create a pathway for social investment to flow into local communities, de-risking the refurbishment of empty stock and creating social housing at a fraction of the cost, and carbon footprint, of new builds.

“We have the capital and the expertise ready to go; we now need the policy framework to match.”

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