Work to give empty homes in Wigan a new lease of life goes global

Following reports of an empty property, council officers were able to find, identify and work with an owner who it turned out lived 10,000 miles away in Australia.

After the death of their next of kin, they had not realised that they now owned a house in the borough – which is now in the process of being brought back into use.

Council officers are shining a light on work across the borough to bring these empty homes back into use as part of a national awareness week which runs from February 28- March 6.

Coun Susan Gambles, cabinet portfolio holder for housing, said: “Our work on bringing empty homes back into use is really vital.

“There are numerous reasons a home can become empty – whether it’s moving out of the area or family members growing older and moving out of their properties and into care facilities.

“Having an empty home can be a stress and a drain on resources, but our teams work with compassion to understand the needs of residents and to look into various options to find out which best suits them.”

This year the focus is to bring 136 identified empty properties in the borough back into use.

In addition to working with landlords, the council is prioritising work to upgrade and repair its own stock of homes so that families can access them in localities where the need for housing is greatest.

Marie Simpson, who lives in a neighbouring borough but has owned a house in Leigh for over 20 years, said: “Knowing our house will be sold and someone will be in it soon, it’s like a weight off my mind – I’m just really glad.

“We have faced challenges like fly-tipping and for various reasons, renting it out didn’t work for us.

“It’s a shame that it’s been empty for so long, but once it’s been decorated, I know it will be a nice home for somebody.”

There are a variety of options available to owners and it is hoped that this work will provide more high-quality and energy efficient homes for local residents.

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