1:30pm Monday 23rd November 2009
HOUSING chiefs in North Dorset have slammed empty homes as an ‘absolute disgrace’.
Councillor Graham Carr-Jones, North Dorset District Council’s portfolio holder for housing, spoke out ahead of a national week of action on empty homes, which starts today.
Some 900 people in North Dorset are waiting on the council’s housing list, while an estimated 300 private homes in the district stand empty.
“The charitable Empty Homes Agency reports that more than one in 20 homes stands empty for more than six months.
“This is an absolute disgrace when there are families desperately needing places to live,” said Mr Carr-Jones.
The number of empty properties in North Dorset has increased during the slump in the housing market, with the shortage of affordable homes in the district described as ‘acute’ by district housing bosses.
Housing officer Jo Rickman told the Echo that a further 553 houses in the district were registered with the district council as second homes.
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