Scottish Government figures reveal 1800 homes in North Lanarkshire remain empty

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An MSP has hit out after the latest figures revealed more than 1800 homes in North Lanarkshire remain empty despite the demand for houses increasing.New housing statistics released by the Scottish Government have shown that there are 1,846 long term empty homes in North Lanarkshire and over 42,000 across Scotland.Similarly, the number of homes that have been empty for more than 12 months and for which a council tax discount of less than 10 per cent, or an increase in council tax has been applied, are up across Scotland including by 11 per cent in North Lanarkshire.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Lanarkshire Labour MSP Mark Griffin, who is campaigning for new legislation to tackle problematic long-term empty homes, says the new statistics underscore how urgent the issue is.He said: “Homes should be for living in yet far too many are lying empty, sometimes for years on end.

As far back as 2014 the Scottish Government recognised that this was an issue yet, nine years later, it is only getting worse.“Whilst there are clearly legitimate and understandable reasons for some properties to be empty, this isn’t always the case.“New legislation would empower local authorities to intervene in problematic cases and ensure that properties are either brought back into use or sold.