Call to use empty homes

7:01pm Wednesday 3rd January 2007

One in 40 homes in Barnet are empty, even though more than 2,500 families from the borough are living in temporary accommodation.

A Government survey revealed that there are 2,898 empty properties in Barnet, out of an estimated 115,832 total private homes, with 2,551 families living in temporary accommodation.

A Barnet Council spokeswoman said it was working to bring its properties back into use, and had been working with an officer to do so since October.

She said: "We have compiled lists of empty properties and we are visiting them, discovering ownership and writing to owners. This is often a sensitive and lengthy process."

But Desmond Kilroy, of London Empty Homes Agency, a charity campaigning for empty property in England to be brought back into use, said the council has not made the issue a priority.

He said: "Barnet was without an empty property officer for most of last year, until the appointment of a part-time officer in the autumn. It has one of the highest rates of empty homes in London and there is clearly an opportunity to make better use of resources."

Despite Mr Kilroy's comments, the survey shows that Barnet has the sixth lowest proportion of empty homes in the capital. The agency is urging people to contact its helpline on 0870 901 6303 or visit its website (www.emptyhomes.com) to give details of vacant homes.