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Housing crisis but still 15,000 empty Leeds homes
As Leeds faces a growing demand for housing it has been revealed that over 15,000 homes across the city stand empty.
And the number of vacant properties are to be discussed at a landlords’ conference on Friday (November 18) at the Carriageworks in Millennium Square.
The first of its kind in the city, the event has been organised by the council and is fully booked.
Figures show that in March there was a total of 15,883 private and public sector empty homes in Leeds - 4.73 per cent of the stock - and 28,000 people were on the council’s housing waiting list. Click here to register and have your say on the stories and issues that matter to you
Coun Peter Gruen, the council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and housing, said: “With demand for housing in the city becoming greater, we need to work with landlords across the city to ensure that we offering good standards of accommodation and can successfully accommodate the demand.
“As a city we do have a number of empty properties, and this is something we need to address by turning them around and being able to move people in sooner rather than later, this will radically help us address the 28,000 people awaiting council housing.
“The housing agenda is an area where we recognise that the private sector will play a pivotal role in the future, particularly in the delivery of new homes, where public investment is likely to be limited.
“Through bringing landlords together it will be an opportunity to discuss best practice and where we can move to in the future.”
Coun Gruen fears that a recent announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron, that discounts for people buying their council house would be increased, could make the housing shortage worse.”
Housing in numbers:
15,883 - the number of empty homes in Leeds.
28,000 - people on the council’s waiting list.
4.73% - percentage of the Leeds housing stock standing empty
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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