The local authority that takes an average 218 days to re-let empty council houses

Martin Shipton

An opposition group leader on Caerphilly council has accused the Labour-run authority of wasting millions of pounds by taking an average of 218 days to re-let council houses after they become empty.

Cllr Nigel Dix, an ex-Labour councillor who represents Blackwood and now leads the Independent group, has obtained figures that he claims support his argument.

He said: “Currently there are 346 empty council Houses in Caerphilly county borough,with the average time before a property is re-let currently standing at 218 days. This is unbelievable.

“Labour’s failure to re-let properties as quickly as possible has a direct effect on the number of people who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation. The average time a single person is housed in temporary accommodation is two years, and families up to six months.

“Currently we have 549 people in temporary accommodation costing a whopping £5.904.646 a year in 2023-2024, up from £2m in the previous year. The council’s failure to re-let the 346 empty properties has led to an eye-watering £1.556.681 a year in lost revenue.

“Labour-led Caerphilly likes to plead poverty and plans to cut millions of pounds from front line services while at the same time increasing council tax by 7.8%. Labour’s abject failure to manage our housing stock is not only failing people who are desperate to be housed – it’s costing us millions of pounds.”

Homelessness pressure

Cllr Shayne Cook, the council’s cabinet member for housing, responded: “Caerphilly, like councils across the UK, is facing homelessness pressures and an increasing spend on temporary accommodation. These pressures are a result of rising inflation, which in turn has led to rising mortgages and rents. There was minimal impact in Caerphilly with the Local Housing Allowance review, when other areas saw increases and private sector landlords selling their properties, with over 450 properties lost in Caerphilly over the last two years. Legislative changes, which provide additional rightful protection to renters, has led to some landlords leaving the sector.

“It’s too simplistic an argument to link the number of council voids with the increase in demand for temporary accommodation. Currently 50% (274 out of 549) of our temporary accommodation is made up of single persons, but as a stockholder Caerphilly Homes has a limited amount of move on stock, with around 20% of our overall stock being made up of one bedroom accommodation (1,868 out of 10,624).

Temporary accommodation

He added: “There is a significant lack of one bedroom accommodation in the private and social housing sector; that is why this Labour authority has stepped in to provide temporary accommodation, started the building of new council properties, and provided over £1m towards the purchasing of 27 privately owned properties to provide housing for families who would otherwise find themselves in temporary accommodation. We also recently embarked on the Caerphilly Keys leasing scheme, in partnership with the Welsh Government, to encourage more landlords to lease their properties.

“At any given moment in time a stock holding local authority or housing association will have a number of empty properties. There are a variety of reasons why properties are vacant; safety, security and surveying, in for repair with the Caerphilly Homes team or contractors, held for management reasons, held for decant undergoing or pending redevelopment, and in the process of being let.

“The number of properties currently with our repairs team and contractors is 187, which is around 1.8% of our total stock of 10,682. Bringing empty properties back into use is a high priority for us. We must also manage new Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023 compliance checks, as well as having enhanced our re-let standard and are now routinely decorating empty properties and installing flooring throughout to support new residents.”