NEWPORT council has launched a new strategy aimed at reducing the amount of empty homes in the city, as numbers rise across Gwent.

The number of long-term empty private homes in Newport has risen by 16 per cent since 2010, and across Wales by 24 per cent over the same period.

In 2017/18, just 15 of Newport’s 1,199 empty homes were brought back into use, accounting for 1.25 per cent of the total.

This proportion of homes brought back into use is one of the lowest across Wales, with the average across the country standing at 5.2 per cent.

Renovations or conversions resulting in new homes are not included in the figures though, with Newport said to be one of the best performing in this category.

“There are many reasons to be concerned about the number of long-term empty private homes,” a council report says.

“Leaving homes empty reduces the supply of available housing and, given the current housing shortage, increases the pressure for development on green space.

“Properties that look unoccupied and neglected tend to attract anti-social behaviour or even criminal damage and, when clusters of empty homes occur in the same area, they reduce its vibrancy.”

The authority ended a 50 per cent council tax discount on empty homes in April in a bid to prevent homes lying empty.

The new strategy, adopted by Newport council last Thursday (August 1), talks of improving a joined up approach to tackling ‘problem’ properties, increasing resources to deal with empty homes and taking enforcement action where needed.

Councillor Jane Mudd, cabinet member for housing and regeneration, said additional resources will be made available to increase the number of interventions the council is able to undertake on empty homes.

However Conservative councillor David Fouweather criticised the council’s ‘poor’ record of bringing empty homes back into use.

Councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi said the new policy is “very welcome” but “lacking in targets and timelines.”

Cllr Al-Nuaimi said more details about the effect the strategy will have on reducing empty homes is needed.

Other Gwent authorities have also seen sharp rises in the number of homes lying empty – and reductions in the numbers brought back into use – though this has been attributed to changes in the way information is recorded.

The number of properties empty for more than six months in Monmouthshire stands at 728 in 2017/18, with 26 brought back into use.

Caerphilly county borough has 1,575 empty homes, with 36 returned to use, while Blaenau Gwent brought back into use 29 of 869 empty homes last year.

Out of 251 empty homes in Torfaen last year, 33 were brought back into use.

A spokesman for Welsh Government said: “We are on track to achieve our target of bringing 5,000 empty homes back into use during this Assembly term.

“We provided councils in Wales with £40-million to provide financial assistance to property owners to help bring empty properties back into use.”

The Welsh Government has established a new enforcement team supporting councils to tackle empty homes, which includes helping them to use their powers to charge a council tax premium on long term empty properties.