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Housing: Empty Property

Asked by Sir James CleverlyConservativeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 9 September 2025UIN 73762

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of her Department's decision to end financial payments to local authorities for getting long-term empty homes back into use through the New Homes Bonus on the number of empty homes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook

The Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation, which closed in August 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on the government’s proposal to end the New Homes Bonus in the Local Government Finance Settlement from 2026-27 and return the funding currently allocated to the Bonus to the core Settlement.

The government will consider all feedback received to the consultation in the design of any future local authority housing incentive.

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