Derelict houses into homes scheme beats target

A £20m drive to save thousands of empty houses from dereliction is being hailed as a success by the Welsh government.

More than 7,500 vacant properties have been restored under the Houses into Homes scheme in the last four years, passing the 5,000 target a year early.

Communities Minister Lesley Griffiths said she was delighted and will make an extra £10m available for the scheme.

But Liberal Democrat AM Peter Black said congratulations were "ridiculous" as the number of empty homes had risen.

Councils have used the cash to lend money to property owners to renovate homes for sale or rent.

Gwynedd council leader Dyfed Edwards, representing the Welsh Local Government Association, welcomed the scheme for bringing about "a much-needed increase" in the supply of housing.

He said it also "removes the problems, such as vandalism and anti-social behaviour, that can often be associated with unoccupied buildings".

Mr Black, housing spokesman for the Welsh Lib Dems, claimed his party had secured extra investment for the programme in a deal with the Welsh government to pass the 2012 budget.

He added: "It's ridiculous to see the Welsh government congratulating themselves when, by their own admission, the number of empty properties has gone up since the start of this scheme," referring to a November 2014 Senedd discussion, external.

At that time, Ms Griffiths told AMs there was an increase in the number of reported empty private sector properties, but said she believed it was due to more rigorous data recording by local authorities.

Mr Black called for a National Empty Homes Strategy to share best practice, and claimed the remaining empty homes "will be much harder to deal with than the first 7,500".