More than a third of Newcastle's vacant council houses are concentrated in the East End wards of Walker and Walkergate, prompting local councillors to demand urgent action to tackle an "air of neglect".
New figures show that of the 726 void council properties across the city, 138 are in Walker and 114 in Walkergate – by far the highest numbers in Newcastle. The figures, as of June this year, were presented to the council's cabinet this week.
Councillors demand urgent repairs
Walker councillor Matt Williams, of the Green Party, questioned why so many homes in his ward "have been allowed to deteriorate to the point where such extensive works are now required". He said: "Walker residents have seen housing pressures intensify year after year. At a time when demand for affordable housing is so high, every empty council property represents a missed opportunity to provide someone with a secure home."
Colin Goldsborough, a Reform UK councillor in Walker, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It is unacceptable that Walker and Walkergate have a combined 252 vacant council properties at a time when so many families are desperately waiting for a safe and secure home. These are not just statistics on a council spreadsheet; they are 252 homes that represent security and stability to people in genuine need. Empty properties can have a damaging impact on our communities - breeding anti-social behaviour, vandalism and an air of neglect. There is no excuse for allowing council properties to stand empty."
His Reform colleague in neighbouring Walkergate, David Orr, added that residents were "sick of seeing the East End ignored" and demanded a "clear timescale from the council to make these houses habitable again".
Council cites heating upgrades
The city council said the scale of the problem in the East End was partly down to a need to upgrade heating systems, including in multi-storey housing blocks, and that funding was in place to "support the re-letting of a significant number of properties in the near future".
Liberal Democrat councillor James Coles, the council's cabinet member for housing, said: "The higher number of void properties in Walker and Walkergate reflects both the need to upgrade heating systems in a number of homes and the fact that these wards contain a large proportion of the city's council housing, including many multi-storey blocks. The communal nature of the heating infrastructure within these blocks means any work requires careful planning and coordination to ensure the systems operate effectively."
Coles added that additional funding had been secured to carry out works on vacant properties and accelerate the programme to bring homes back into use, supported by the recent introduction of the Void Management Policy.
Regeneration plans and wider figures
Earlier this year, city leaders approved a regeneration plan that could see 451 new homes built in Walker – including around 60 on the site of the demolished Hexham House and Titan House tower blocks and the derelict Church Walk shopping centre.
Statistics presented to the council's cabinet this week showed 68 void properties in Ouseburn, 61 in the city centre Monument ward, 54 in Arthur's Hill, and 43 in Denton and Westerhope. Overall, the number of empty council homes in Newcastle reduced from 740 in March this year to 726 by June.
