DESPITE a national shortage of homes, at least 1,342 properties are lying empty and unused in the West Somerset and Taunton area, in some cases for up to two years, Government figures revealed this week.

According to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 758 of the unoccupied and unfurnished homes have been empty for more than six months, and at least 162 abandoned for more than two years.

The number of empty homes in the district has fallen by 22 per cent from last year, when the figure stood at 1,717 and, according to the figures, 1,271 dwellings in the district were listed as second homes last month.

To help tackle the problem, the district council now has an ‘empty homes officer’ who works with owners to bring empty properties back into use by offering information, advice and guidance; fields calls from neighbours of empty homes, and liaises with Environmental Health and Building Control to seek a resolution. 

A council spokesman said: “Letters, calls and emails are targeted at empty homeowners.”

Nationally, about 72,000 dwellings were subject to a council tax premium in October, around a fifth of which had been abandoned for between five and 10 years and ten per cent for more than a decade.

In 2020-21, councils across the country identified more than 268,000 households as homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The SWT spokesman added: “We have worked in partnership with the YMCA to create emergency accommodation, and have successfully secured government funding through various bids to secure Gascony House in Minehead.

“We have also been able to employ two floating support officers to facilitate a long-lasting and successful ‘move-on’ of tenants from supported accommodation to independent living.

“We also have a dedicated ‘rough sleeper’ team providing outreach services within the community and working with partnership agencies to support rough sleepers into accommodation.

“Our ‘homelessness’ team is very much focused on preventing homelessness through early intervention and works proactively with our floating support officers and private rented sector team, who work to either retain current, or source suitable alternative accommodation.

“In an effort to make our services more accessible, we have recently enabled homeless applications to be made online and with support if necessary.” 

A Government spokesman said that more than 243,000 new homes were delivered last year, and the number of empty homes had fallen by 30,000 since 2010.

He said: “We have taken significant action to prevent empty homes. This includes giving councils stronger powers to increase council tax on empty homes and take over their management and introducing higher rates of stamp duty and tightening tax rules for second homes.”