Nearly 1,000 houses in Portsmouth left empty for more than six months in 'shocking' statistics

By Freddie Webb
Published 17th Dec 2022, 15:13 BST
Updated 17th Dec 2022, 15:13 BST
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ALMOST 1,000 homes in Portsmouth have been sitting empty for more than six months, amid a housing crisis which has left scores of people across England trapped in temporary accommodation.

Data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) shows at least 961 homes liable for council tax in Portsmouth had been unoccupied for at least six months at the most recent count in October.

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Chris Bailey, national campaign manager for Action on Empty Homes, said: ‘After more than a decade of intense housing crisis it is shocking to see long-term empty homes in England rise to 250,000.

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Portsmouth aerial picture.Portsmouth aerial picture.
Portsmouth aerial picture.

‘A new national empty homes programme is long overdue – the government needs to step up to the plate and offer funding and incentives to get these homes back into use.’ DLUHC figures show 195 households in the city are in temporary accommodation.

A spokesperson said the government is ‘taking action to get empty homes back into use’.

Related topics:PortsmouthEnglandDataStrep A