Long-term empty homes in Wiltshire at highest level for 13 years

Wiltshire Council said it does everything it can to ensure homes are not empty

The number of Wiltshire homes empty for more than six months is at its highest level for 13 years, according to government figures.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities statistics show there were 2,081 homes vacant for more than six months of the year in 2022.

It is the highest since 2009, when Wiltshire Council was formed as a unitary authority.

The news comes after a 70% rise in homelessness across the county.

The council's cabinet member for housing, Phil Alford, said the council does everything it can to ensure homes are not empty, but that there can be a variety of reasons for why houses are vacant for long periods.

"Around 1.9% of homes are currently empty...75% of homes are empty for less than a year as many are in the process of being sold, refurbished, or let to new tenants," he said.

"There's an incentive for homes to be occupied as council tax rises 150% if a home is empty for more than two years, but in most cases there is a reason why a home is unoccupied for longer.''

"This could be ownership disputes, or where a home has been specially adapted to support the elderly," added Mr Alford.

The cabinet member said that the council is also investing £195m into a housebuilding programme over the next ten years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The number of long-term vacant properties in Wiltshire is at its highest since 2009

Opposition Liberal Democrat leader, Ian Thorn, said the council should be doing more to encourage owners to put their properties back into use.

"This can be done through double council tax on second homes for example. There's an enormous need for new homes,'' he said.

"A carrot and stick approach is needed and the empty properties need to be filled as it's obviously a very pressing issue," he added.