In England, there are 33,993 empty municipal homes—the most since 2009. More than 6,000 publicly owned residences have been vacant for more than a year, according to News.
They include 144 apartments in a boarded-up tower block in the neighboring borough of Southwark that has been vacant since 2015 and a number of homes that have been shut off on an estate in Lambeth, south London, for more than 20 years. It was scheduled to be redeveloped, but because construction prices have skyrocketed, it will likely be demolished.
Using Freedom of Information Act data, News collaborated with housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa to identify the amount of empty council buildings.
Mr. Tweneboa stated to the News: “People are camped out on the streets.” There are individuals sleeping in storage containers and garages. Nonetheless, there are thousands of vacant council homes around the nation that are not being occupied. It is completely nonsensical.”
Councils are paying private landlords millions of dollars year to place families in emergency temporary housing, including bed and breakfasts, rather than fixing the properties they own.
