IT really grieves me when I see unoccupied houses standing permanently empty, in some cases they are really desirable properties.

There are literally tens of thousands of these properties throughout the country and I can’t understand why this is allowed to happen when there is such a shortage of housing and where there is a move afoot to build on green belt land to overcome this shortage.

I would like to see local authorities have the power to take ownership of these properties after a certain period of time, unless there are exceptional circumstances, and turn them into social or council housing.

T Ball, Barnard Castle