Liberal Democrats Launch Manifesto Housing Pledge

8.33.00pm GMT Sun 24th Jan 2010

Caroline Pidgeon: "It is a disgrace that 3657 homes sit empty"

The Liberal Democrats have this week set out plans to bring a quarter of a million empty homes back into use, making homes available for people who need them and creating 65,000 jobs.

There are over 760,000 empty properties across England which are no longer used as homes but can be brought back into use with some investment; in Lambeth alone there are 3657 properties. People who own these homes would get a grant or a cheap loan to renovate them so they can be used: grants if the home is for social housing, loans for private use.

The plans form part of the economic stimulus package outlined as a core principle of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto. In the first year of the new Parliament, the party would redirect over £3.6bn of spending to create jobs and build up Britain's infrastructure. In the following years this money will be redirected to other Lib Dem spending priorities and reducing the structural deficit.

Commenting on the plans, Nick Clegg said:

"Allowing thousands of houses to sit empty when millions of families have been waiting years for a home is nothing short of a scandal.

"These plans are a clear example of where Liberal Democrat priorities lie: creating jobs and providing more family homes.

"The cost of bringing these homes back into use is just a fraction of the cost of build yet the Government is sitting idly by while they fall into disrepair.

Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Vauxhall, Caroline Pidgeon, said:

"With over 11,000 households on the waiting list for housing in Lambeth, it is a disgrace that 3657 homes sit empty, gathering dust. A Lib Dem government would work with the property owners to bring these homes back into use by providing grants and loans, providing many more homes for local families"