Housing

Baroness Scott of Needham Market Excerpts

Thursday 8th July 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, under the Government’s plans, the decisions about housing will be passed down to the lowest level, to local authorities, and it will be up to people in the north-east and elsewhere to decide themselves what housing they need.

[Baroness Scott of Needham Market]

Are there any plans to bring back into use the almost 1 million empty properties that are being wasted in this country at the moment?

[Baroness Hanham]

Once again, my Lords, this is a matter for local authorities, particularly with their own housing. I know that some local authorities have not made the maximum use of it, and of course we will encourage them to do that. The private sector will still be encouraged to ensure that empty properties in the private sector are brought back into use. I think we would all agree that empty property is not desirable, by any stretch of the imagination, and it denies homes to people who need them.