“The Great British property scandal” – prominent local Lib Dems sign up to support the campaign to bring empty homes back into use (Sutton Coldfield and Erdington Liberal Democrats)

Sutton Coldfield and Erdington Liberal Democrats <info@suttonanderdingtonlibdems.org.uk>

“The Great British property scandal” – prominent local Lib Dems sign up to support the campaign to bring empty homes back into use

December 9, 2011 3:37 PM

Great British Property Scandal

The Channel 4 series "The Great British property scandal" takes a hard look at Britain's record on housing. According to architect and presenter George Clarke, two million families are on the UK housing list, and yet there are one million empty homes in Britain - and 350,000 of those homes have been unoccupied for over six months. So what's gone wrong? Clarke is shocked by what he sees as the country's senseless waste of housing stock and aims to prove that refurbishing is a quicker and a more efficient way of getting people a roof over their heads than building anew.

Now local Lib Dem campaigners Cllr Ann Holtom and Trevor Holtom have signed the Channel 4 petition to support the campaign to fill up Britain's empty homes. Cllr Holtom said: "Nationally the Liberal Democrats are working to tackle the legacy of inadequate housing and empty homes left by the previous Labour government. At long last, the ludicrous Council Tax discount for empty homes should, if a consultation goes the right way, turn into an extra charge for owners of long-term empty properties that blight an area. Something else that is only happening thanks to the Liberal Democrats in government."

Ann and Trevor are identifying their own list of empty properties in Tyburn Ward. You can join the fight by going to "The Great British property scandal" website and reporting an empty property near where you live or anywhere you know. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-british-property-scandal/articles/home/