I have been a local councillor in Swindon for over 20 years and, in that time, I have been contacted about all kinds of different issues that have caused problems for residents in my ward.

One that always prompts concerns is when homes are left abandoned for a significant period of time. Anyone who has ever lived close to a property that has been neglected will know that it does not take long for problems to occur.

As a previous cabinet member for housing I know only too well that abandoned homes can attract anti-social behaviour, vandals and, in extreme cases, squatters. Gardens can become overgrown, negatively affecting neighbouring properties and there are occasions when a property can be so neglected that it becomes dangerous.

We have dedicated officers in our housing team who work incredibly hard behind the scenes to tackle some of these long-term empty homes with the aim of bringing them back in to use.

This week is national Empty Homes Week, which highlights local initiatives to bring empty homes back into use and is a campaign we are getting behind as a council.

At any one time, there will be a number of homes that will be left unoccupied across the Borough, but not all of these are likely to become the blights on communities that I have described above.

For example, a home may be empty because the owner has died, moved into a care home or requires an extended stay in hospital, while some homes may be vacant as they are undergoing major renovation work.

Normally these homes are back in use after a few months, but if a home has been left for a considerable amount of time, our officers will investigate and do their best to trace the owners so we can offer advice on the best way to bring them back into use, including advice on how to access funding. On occasions, we may also work with housing associations who have access to grant funding to help bring properties back onto the market.

Sometimes, if it is appropriate, we can use enforcement powers and over the last couple of years, our officers have been using broader powers under the Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act.

This means we can serve a Section 215 (untidy land) notice, which means the owner of a property, has to carry out work to bring the property up to a certain standard by a particular day.

We have also used measures such as compulsory purchase orders to buy empty homes and put them back on the market, but this can be a lengthy process, and officers have also secured final charging orders on two long-term empty properties for unpaid Council Tax.

We are promoting Empty Homes Week on the council’s social media channels this week where we are highlighting some of the empty properties that have been either sold or are now occupied.

Our empty homes team is only too happy to provide help and information to owners of empty houses, and also to neighbours who are worried about the impact of empty homes on their neighbourhood.

You can contact our empty homes team at emptyhomes@swindon.gov.uk or learn more on our website: www.swindon.gov.uk/emptyhomes