COUNCILLORS have agreed to provide extra support for a programme that helps bring empty properties across a borough back into use.

Burnley Council’s executive board met to discuss the creation of an additional empty homes project assistant post to help support its empty homes programme at a committee meeting on Monday.

The discussion was brought to the executive following the high number of properties that had been left empty and vacant in the last few years.

There were 2,498 empty homes in the borough, 6 per cent of the borough’s overall stock in August 2017.

The average number of empty homes for England is 2.6 per cent and 3.3 per cent in the North West.

The majority of the empty properties in Burnley are within the pre-1919 terraced stock with terraced housing representing 74.6% of the overall housing stock in Burnley compared to 29.1% nationally.

The council has said its keen to engage with the owners of empty properties and work with them to return their properties to use.

Following a review of the council’s current empty homes programme, the executive board, recognising the need to tackle the empty homes issue, has now agreed to introduce a new project assistant, which will cost around £32,500.

Officers concluded the most cost-effective way to increase the impact of the council’s programme was to introduce some additional staffing resource.

Since 2012 more than 160 properties have benefited from this work in Brennand Street, Accrington Road, Branch Road and Heap Street, a council spokesman said.

To support the empty homes programme further, the council has agreed to carry out neighbourhood improvement schemes in key streets.

The council has also offered other incentives to owners to bring their empty home back into use.

The incentives will provide owners with an interest-free loan to carry out improvements, a council tax charging system to encourage empty properties to be occupied and, under certain circumstances, the payment of selective licensing fees to private landlords.

Cllr John Harbour, executive member for housing and environment, said: “The empty homes programme has been successful in breathing new life into long-term vacant properties and bringing them back into use.

“We want to continue to build on this success and to achieve this we need an extra member of staff to support the scheme, engage with the owners of these properties and maximise the number of empty homes returned in to use.”

Owners of empty homes can contact the council’s empty homes officer for advice and assistance on 01282 425011.