Corbyn calls for empty home seizures

The Labour leader is calling on the government to consider using compulsory purchase orders to reclaim vacant properties throughout the Capital.

Corbyn calls for empty home seizures

Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn has renewed calls for the government toseize empty properties in London and end the practice of land-banking.

He is calling on the government to consider using compulsory purchase orders to reclaim vacant properties throughout the Capital.

Corbyn made his call as hecriticised the official response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy which has left hundreds homeless in one of London's most affluent boroughs -Kensington and Chelsea.

Government figures show that theborough had 1,399 empty homes in April which are worth a whopping £664m.

Speaking on ITV's Peston on Sunday Corbyn said: "There are a large number of deliberately kept vacant flats and properties all over London - it's called landbanking. People with a lot of money buy a house, buy a flat, keep it empty.

"Occupy it, compulsively purchase it, requisition it, there's a lot of things you can do.

"It's all very well putting our arms round people during the crisis, but homelessness is rising, the housing crisis is getting worse. And my point was quite a simple one, in an emergency, you have to bring all assets to the table in order to deal with that crisis."