Labour councils have most empty homes – eMoov

There are 23,662 vacant properties under Labour jurisdiction compared to 6,530 in Conservative.

Labour councils have most empty homes – eMoov

Labour constituencies account for 70% of vacant properties across England, eMoov has found following a series of freedom of information requests to councils.

There are 16,427 vacant properties under Labour jurisdiction compared to 5,786 in the hands of the Conservatives.

However based on the number of vacant properties compared to population two Conservative councils are the worst offenders.

In Lewes District Council and Hinckley & Bosworth District Council there are 1.33% and 1.22% empty properties compared to the population.

To put that in a real life context in Lewes, which has a population of 100,700, there are 1,335 vacant properties.

Russell Quirk, founder and chief executive of eMoov, said: “It’s quite frankly scandalous that in the current market climate those in charge of addressing the severe housing shortage are actually sitting on a potential solution or at least part of it.

“We’ve seen numerous plans and announcements by the government to tackle the housing crisis and help the average UK homebuyer in previous years, all of which have amounted to little more than regurgitated rhetoric.

“It would seem that parties across the entire political spectrum need to get their own house in order first and utilize the resources already at their fingertips, rather than investing in another failed housing initiative.

“It is certainly a worrying sign for UK buyers when Labour, the party that is supposed to be the one for people, is by far the worst offender in hoarding vacant council-owned properties.”