Kent councils join forces in fight against empty properties

Kent County Council’s No Use Empty initiative welcomes new District Councils to complete Kent-wide membership, A pioneering initiative which is helping to bring empty properties back into use in East and West Kent has been rolled out to tackle the…

Kent County Council’s No Use Empty initiative welcomes new District Councils to complete Kent-wide membership,

A pioneering initiative which is helping to bring empty properties back into use in East and West Kent has been rolled out to tackle the problem across the whole county.

Kent County Council has teamed up with Ashford Borough Council, Canterbury City Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Gravesham Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council to expand the No Use Empty; the Kent Empty Property Initiative to embrace all of Kent.

The initiative was first launched almost two years ago as a partnership between Kent County Council and the District Councils of Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet as a direct, proactive response to the recurring problem of empty housing in East Kent.

Following the success of the campaign, which has helped bring over 400 empty properties back into use, No Use Empty was recently expanded into West Kent, with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council joining the partnership.

There are currently around 6,000 long term empty properties across Kent, depriving people of a much needed home. With all the local councils across the county on board, a pioneering initiative has been created, which delivers a joined-up approach to bringing as many of these properties back into use as possible. The initiative has been widely praised across the UK as a unique partnership between County and local councils, achieving tangible results, and a blueprint for other councils in the country to follow.

The objective of the No Use Empty is to raise awareness of the issue of empty housing and the problems it causes to local communities, and to help bring them back into use.

No Use Empty will support the existing work carried out by the five local councils to tackle the problem, giving housing officers access to a wider group of resources, skills and experiences and engaging in a joined-up approach with Kent County Council and bordering districts to achieve improved results in returning properties back to use.

Roger Gough, Cabinet Member for Regeneration at Kent County Council, said: “It was always our intention to roll out the initiative across Kent and I’m delighted to welcome on board these new members and complete a truly Kent-wide initiative.”

“We have already proved that the initiative is an effective and efficient approach to tackling empty housing in East Kent, and with the support of our new members I’m sure the initiative will make an equal impact across the county.

Susan Pledger, No Use Empty project manager, said: “The Empty Property Officers across the region were already engaged with the initiative following a programme of training sessions we organise on a regular basis. Our new members have seen the impact No Use Empty has made in East Kent, and it’s terrific news that they have now officially joined the partnership.”

Tracey Kerly, Head of Housing at Ashford, commented: “This is a superb opportunity to tap into the extensive experience gained during the first two years of operation of this initiative to support and assist our own officers in tacking this problem across the Ashford Borough Council area”.

John Littlemore, Chief Housing Officer at Maidstone Borough Council said, “Following consultation with our local residents we have produced a new strategy to tackle empty residential properties. We are pleased to join the Kent Empty Property Initiative as this will provide the opportunity to share good practice and help us be more effective in dealing with empty homes”.

The No Use Empty team urge the public to report properties in their local community which they believe to be long term vacant to the No Use Empty campaign hotline on 08458 247 605. For further information on the No Use Empty campaign, visit: www.no-use-empty.org