The number of empty homes in Fife has increased again according to statistics produced by the National Records of Scotland.
In 2017 there were 5,736 unoccupied dwellings in the Kingdom, up by 248 compared to 2016 figures. This represented 3.3% of all housing stock, higher than the Scotland-wide average of 3.1%.
In ten years the number of unoccupied homes has increased from 3,185 to 5,738 a significant 80.1%.
Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, Liz Smith, is calling on Fife Council and the Scottish Government to do more to bring unoccupied dwellings back into productive use, and has put forward a number of strategies aimed at achieving this.
Commenting, Liz Smith MSP said:
“These figures underline the fact that more needs to be done to bring empty homes back into productive use and despite big promises from the Scottish Government there are still far too many vacant homes across Scotland.
“Throughout their decade in government the SNP has seen empty properties soar, taking valuable properties out of use.
“For the people waiting for housing this latest increase in empty properties will feel particularly frustrating.
“The Scottish Government must introduce a Help to Rebuild scheme which could bring together disparate grant schemes under one easily accessible umbrella programme.
“Additionally, we should make it easier to turn empty business premises into affordable housing to help meet demand.
“Only by putting forward innovative strategies will we tackle the number of empty properties across Fife and Scotland. The Scottish Government need to get on and do that.”