Liverpools blight of empty boarded up homes.

by Graham Scott.

Empty properties on Edge Lane, Liverpool. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

The amount of empty houses in this city is nothing short of scandalous; especially when you consider the amount of people who are without that most basic of needs - a dwelling with its own front door.

The daily sight of so many derelict properties cruelly taunts the many decent honest people who are currently homeless in this city - people who are desperate to find somewhere decent to bring their children up. When you couple that to the fly tipping, the use of the property by drug abusers and the arson, vandalism and general anti-social behaviour these abandoned houses attract, what we are left with is an extremely serious issue.

There is a mechanism in place to allow the council to take decisive action against the owners of these properties, including if necessary making the house habitable and billing the owner for the work, but it is taking far too long.

According to the council’s own figures - available online at:

 http://liverpool.gov.uk/Images/emptyhousestrat2010.pdf

The target date from receipt of the initial complaint to completion should be 114 days. The average time is 212 days. Nearly double the target time is simply unacceptable.

UKIP Councillors will, when elected challenge the council to get a grip on this blight on the face of our beautiful city, and press for a marked reduction in the time it takes to return a property to habitation. Homes, not squalid and dangerous eyesores are a priority for UKIP.

It is time for a shake-up of the two party self appreciation society that is Liverpool City Council. A vote for UKIP in the May 2012 elections will mean councillors in the Town Hall not afraid to ask the difficult questions which matter to you and I the most.