Residents urged to report empty homes to Bedford Borough Council

The council is taking decisive action with nearly £3million to fund the compulsory purchase of properties where owners fail to take action to bring their empty property back into use.

The actions enabled by this funding have already resulted in a drop of a third in the number of properties that have been empty for five years or more.

Empty homes continue to be a massive waste of resources and a blight on neighbourhoods across the country and can also have a negative impact on the environment. Cllr Colleen Atkins, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Regulation said: “We’re working hard to reduce the number of empty homes in the borough. If you own one of these empty properties, please come and talk to us to discuss your options and see what help we can provide.

“If you know about an empty home, please report it to our Housing Strategy team.”

The council will continue to work hard to reduce the number of empty homes in the Borough. Individuals and local communities can support the council’s efforts to bring empty homes back into use by reporting empty properties to our Housing Strategy team via www.bedford.gov.uk/emptyhomes

The campaign runs until October 21.