As National Empty Homes Week 2022 starts in the UK, South Derbyshire District Council is reminding residents there is a grant and support available to tackle the issue.

National Empty Homes Week takes place every year and aims to shine a light on the damaging impact that empty homes can cause.

It is estimated across the UK that there are nearly 240,000 homes which have been empty for more than six months, with an estimated 375 in South Derbyshire.

Empty homes can cause blight in their neighbourhood, can attract antisocial behaviour and can contribute to a feeling of neglect.

Every empty home also contributes to climate change by causing extra pressure to build new houses. On average, every new house causes 50 to 80 tonnes of carbon to be emitted, which is more than many households produce over 10 years.

Cllr Kevin Richards, Leader of South Derbyshire Council is keen to highlight that help is available for owners of empty homes.

He said: "We know that there are many reasons why homes can be left empty. But owners should know that in South Derbyshire there is help available.

"The Council is still offering up to £9,000 in grant aid as part of its Empty Homes Grant and we have the Green Homes Grant running which could provide over £10,000 being made available for thermal insulation and energy performance improvements."

The Council has also created an Empty Homes Toolkit to give specialist guidance and ideas about how to make the best of your property.

Regarding the impact of empty housing and how people can get involved, Cllr Richards added: "The Council encourages residents to report empty properties to allow our officers to take steps to identify the owner and, wherever possible encourage positive action.

"We don't tolerate the small number of people who simply ignore the problem of empty houses. The Council applies a 300 per cent increase on Council tax on properties which have been left empty for a long time."

You can report empty properties to the Council at: Empty property or untidy site report | South Derbyshire District Council.

If you own an empty property and would like some information about the support the Council can offer, contact: [email protected].