RECENTLY released data shows that hundreds of homes across Basingstoke and Deane have been vacant for more than six months.

This is amid a housing crisis that has left scores of people across England trapped in temporary accommodation.

Data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities shows that at least 568 homes liable for council tax in Basingstoke and Deane had been unoccupied for at least six months at the most recent count in October.

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It meant that the number of homes gathering dust for at least half a year has increased by 16 per cent from 488 in 2021, and 46 per cent compared to 389 in 2012.

The properties deemed long term empty were among a total of 1,772 vacent homes counted in the borough in October.

Meanwhile, across England, there were 676,500 vacant properties at latest count, with 248,600 of these lying empty for six months or more.

National campaign manager of Action on Empty Houses Chris Bailey said: “After more than a decade of intense housing crisis it is shocking to see long-term homes in England rise to 250,000 – another 11,000 wasted empties, while nearly 100,000 families are trapped in temporary accommodation, costing the nation over £1.5b a year.

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“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.”

Deputy leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and cabinet member for finance and property Cllr John Izett said: “The council is keen to encourage owners of properties standing empty to bring them back into use as quickly as possible, including by renting them out to people who need a home.

“Homes may be empty for a number of reasons and these figures are constantly changing where people are moving in and out of properties in the borough.

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“October council tax records show a total of 1,263 empty properties. The majority of vacant homes -  695 - were empty less than six months, for example as people moved out and there was a gap before new tenants moved in, or new owners or purchasers delayed moving in for a property to be decorated.

“Those empty over six months included properties where the owner had died and nothing could be done until probate had been granted, where the resident had moved into a care home or where they were in hospital or receiving care elsewhere.

“This is only 1.5 per cent of the total properties in Basingstoke and Deane and is lower than the national average, as it has been for the past five years.”