Council vows to cut amount of empty homes

Rotherham Council is raising awareness about the impact empty homes can have on communities this Empty Homes Week and urging residents to report long-term empty homes.

The charity, Action on Empty Homes has reported that the number of long-term empty homes across England has increased in 2024 to 265,061 which equates to 2.8 per cent of all properties being empty long-term. This is the highest figure since 2011.

Rotherham continues to remain below this national figure with 2.65 per cent of properties empty.

With over 7,000 families currently waiting for a council home, and hundreds of people facing homelessness, the council has pledged to deliver hundreds of new homes across the borough by next year and bringing empty homes back into use is part of this solution.

Since 2021, the council’s Empty Homes Officer has dealt with over 420 enquiries and helped to bring 91 properties back into use.

Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for housing, Cllr Sarah Allen, said: “We understand that empty homes can have a negative and problematic impact on communities and believe that it is important to bring empty properties back into use to create cleaner, greener, and safer neighbourhoods.

“We urge anyone who is struggling to bring a residential empty property back into use, or anyone who knows of an empty property and would like to see it transformed into a home again to contact us.

To find out more visit rotherham.gov.uk/private-housing/report-a-problem-with-a-property-or-empty-homes/3.