COUNCILS will be given more powers to tackle long-term empty homes under new laws being taken through parliament.

The 'empty dwellings' bill, debated by MPs will encourage owners their property by doubling council tax rates on properties standing empty for more than two years.

In Pendle, the number of empty homes halved between 2008 and 2014 and continued to fall until last year (2017), which saw a rise from 900 to 944.

The move is one of a range of measures being created to use on the country’s housing market, with councils able to use funds from the premium to keep council tax levels down for working families.

Andrew Stephenson, Pendle's MP, welcomed the bill.

He said: "Empty homes are a blight on our towns, whilst families struggle to find a good place to live.

"Despite past progress, we're now seeing more empty homes in Pendle.

"I welcome the government giving local councils more power to get the problem back under control, to improve our housing stock and protect our green belt from unnecessary development."

Rishi Sunak, minister for Local Government said: "Doubling the cap on the premium supports the government's wider commitment to fixing our broken housing market.

"This will allow local authorities to strengthen the incentive for owners of empty homes to bring them back into use."