Wiltshire Council leader’s anger at MoD as 1,350 military homes lie empty for years
- Caron Bell – Tuesday 10 May 2022
- https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2022-05-10/anger-at-mod-as-1350-military-homes-lie-empty-for-years
The leader of Wiltshire Council has described 1,350 empty military homes in the county as a “scandal” as more than 2,000 families wait for social housing.
The empty homes, many of which have multiple bedrooms and large gardens, are dotted around civilian communities.
The Ministry of Defence rents them from private company Amey, but council tax records show they have been empty for several years.
“I honestly think it’s a scandal,” leader of Wiltshire Council Richard Clewer told ITV News West Country.
“Taxpayers are spending money to keep properties empty, and I’m having to see green fields built on when we could be housing people in these empty homes.”
There is huge pressure on Wiltshire’s social housing stock.
Houses in Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury attract more than 100 bids each and there are currently 2,400 families are waiting for one of the council’s 5,000 properties.
We are being evicted from redhorn gardens we both work and we have nowhere to go we have looked and looked but nothing is available the council told us we have no housing needs which is so unfair