|
Loans to bring
empty homes back into use
LIVERPOOL is taking steps
forward in tackling the number of empty homes in the City, by
signing up to an innovative new pilot scheme. The National
Empty Homes Loan Fund (NEHLF) is aimed at bringing some of England's
710,000 empty homes back into use.
Liverpool is one of 39 local authorities selected to be part of the
pilot, which will help breathe new life into some of the City's
7,500 long term vacant properties, providing much needed homes for
the City.
The scheme is led by the charity Empty Homes, in partnership with
central government and the Ecology Building Society. Liverpool's
involvement in the scheme means owners of empty homes in the City
will be able to apply for loans of up to £15,000 to help bring their
properties back into affordable use.
Currently, owners of empty homes are often unable to access funds to
bring them back into use, creating a vicious cycle of decline in
areas with high numbers of empty properties.
NEHLF will provide access to secured loans at a fixed 5% interest
rate, and will enable owners to renovate the property to Decent
Homes standard.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:- "We are absolutely
determined to bring empty properties across the City back into use
and provide valuable homes for our residents. Properties left vacant
blight our neighbourhoods and are a wasted resource.
We know that many of our empty properties exist because owners
simply do not have the money that is required to bring them back up
to a habitable standard. We're already making good progress in
tackling this issue through our Housing Delivery Plan and Empty
Homes Programme - and this new initiative will support the work we
are doing."
The scheme has been funded by a grant of £3 million from central
government and is being administered by Ecology Building Society, a
specialist mortgage lender that supports sustainable communities. It
should provide funding for hundreds of properties and is available
to individuals aged 18 and over who own a property that has been
empty for 6 months or more.
David Ireland OBE, Chief Executive of Empty Homes, said:-
"This scheme is a real first in England and is a great example of
central government working together with the public and private
sector to try and reduce the number of empty homes in the UK. We
hope the fund will enable hundreds of empty homes to be brought back
up to standard and back into the housing stock."
Paul Ellis, Chief Executive of Ecology Building Society, said:- "We
exist to support projects that will benefit the environment and
local communities, so it's natural for us to want to support efforts
to bring empty homes back into use. This can affect any street in
any town. At a time when there is increasing demand for homes but an
acute lack of supply it makes sense to bring new life to existing
but neglected properties, and we want to help provide the incentive
for people to take on an empty home."
Individuals can either apply for the loan through their
participating local authority or if their local authority is not yet
a member of the scheme, directly through Ecology Building Society.
Normal identification checks and affordability criteria will apply.
Liverpool's success in being selected for the pilot builds on the
huge amount of work going on in the City to tackle empty homes.
Liverpool's Empty Homes programme; which supports the Mayor of
Liverpool's pledge to deliver 5,000 new and refurbished homes for
the City by 2016; is introducing a range of other measures, which
are starting to make a real impact.
The Council's housing team has drawn up a 'hit-list' of the
top 1,000 empty homes in the City, and is now taking firm action.
Owners are being encouraged to bring their properties back into use
as quickly as possible, and are being informed that enforcement
action will be taken, where appropriate.
Liverpool has also achieved significant success in securing £14
million in Government 'Clusters of Empty Homes Funding', which is
being used to revitalise hundreds of properties.
And an innovative pilot scheme to sell 20 empty properties to local
people for just £1 each is underway. More than 1,000 people applied
for the 'Homes for a Pound' scheme, which aims to breathe new life
into vacant properties in the Granby and Picton areas of Liverpool.
Successful applicants are due to be announced in the near future.
Full details of the National Empty Homes Loan Fund can be found at:-
emptyhomes.com and
ecology.co.uk. |
 |
1 IN 5 INTERNET
AND PET SHOP PUPS DIE BEFORE 6 MONTHS OLD
THE Kennel Club's Puppy
Awareness Week research shows that as many as 1 in 3 nationally, and
just over 1 in 3 in the North West, may have bought from a puppy
farm after sourcing their puppy from the internet, social media, pet
shops or newspaper ads; all outlets that are often used by puppy
farmers. Puppy farmers breed dogs purely for profit, without taking
any of the responsible steps that they should to protect the
breeding dogs' and puppies' health and welfare.
The research found that nationally:-
► 33% of people who bought their puppy online, over social media or in
pet shops failed to experience 'overall good health'.
►
20% of puppies bought via social
media or the internet die before 6 months old.
►
12% of puppies bought online or on
social media end up with serious health problems that require
expensive on going veterinary treatment from a young age.
►
94% of puppies bought direct from
a breeder were reported as having good overall health.
There is currently very little
regulation over dog breeders in the country so the Kennel Club
established the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme in 2004, which
now has UKAS recognition, to ensure that its members always follow
responsible steps when breeding and selling puppies. However, the
research has revealed that too many people in the North West are
still going to unscrupulous breeders with:-
► 42% of people failing to see the puppy with its mum (36% nationally)
►
58% not seeing the breeding
environment (53% nationally)
►
70% receive no contract of sale
(69% nationally)
►
83% did not see any relevant
health certificates for the puppy's parents, which indicate the
likely health of the puppy (70% nationally).
These are all steps that Kennel
Club Assured Breeders must take.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said:- "A large number
of people in the North West are sourcing their puppies online and in
pet shops. Whilst there is nothing wrong with initially finding a
puppy online, it is essential to then see the breeder and ensure
that they are doing all of the right things. This research clearly
shows that too many people in the region are failing to do this, and
the consequences can be seen in the shocking numbers of puppies that
are becoming sick or dying. We have an extremely serious consumer
protection and puppy welfare crisis on our hands. We urge people to
always buy a puppy from a member of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder
Scheme, who are the only breeders in the country whose membership is
based upon their ability to show that the health and welfare of
their pups comes first and foremost."
Worryingly, the research reveals that the problem is likely to get
worse as mail order pups bought over the internet are the 2nd
most common way for the younger generation of 18 to 24 year olds to buy
a puppy (31% buy in this way nationally), enabling unscrupulous
breeders to take advantage of the anonymity that the internet
provides.
The research also found that the owners of cross and mixed breeds
are much less likely to see the puppy with the mum and where it was
born than the owners of purebred dogs, with half not seeing the mum
(compared to a 3rd of purebred owners) and 72% not seeing its home
environment, leading to concern that unscrupulous breeders are
cashing in on the fashion for dogs such as the Labradoodle and the
Puggle.
Bill Lambert, Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme Manager, said:-
"Sadly, if the 'buy it now' culture persists then this
horrific situation will only get worse. There is nothing wrong with
sourcing a puppy online but people need to make themselves aware of
what they should then expect from the breeder. You should not buy a
car without getting its service history and seeing it at its
registered address, so you certainly should not to buying a pup if
you have not seen where it was bred or the correct paperwork and
health certificates for it. People should never buy directly from
third parties such as the internet, pet shops, or from puppy
dealers, where you cannot possibly know how or where the puppy was
raised."
The Kennel Club has launched an online video and has a Find A Puppy
app, to show the do's and don'ts of buying a puppy.
View the video
at:-
thekennelclub.org.uk/paw.
|
