More than 2,000 homes are standing empty in the Braintree district at a time when thousands of young couples are desperate for a place of their own.

With new building going on all around, 539 properties, mostly privately owned, have been empty for more than six months.

Braintree even has more vacant properties than the neighbouring Colchester district where 1,800 homes are lying empty.

Braintree South district councillor Allan Millam said: ''We don't have the answer. There are so many people on the waiting list and they have all got strong cases.

''They all point to the empty properties around. The council puts as much pressure as possible on landlords to get them into the rental field. It's a priority, but the waiting list keeps growing''

The national Empty Homes Agency is campaigning for more to be done to make empty properties available and is campaigning for compulsory leasing on long term empty properties to go through in the current Housing Bill.

This legislation could spur Braintree Council to investigate the possibility of taking over long term empty private homes and offering them to some of the 2,382 households on the waiting list.

This was the advice given by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, when he said the Government wanted to open up more rented homes to people who could not afford rocketing property prices.

The council has arranged special courses to show landlords ways of keeping their homes occupied.

It has also chosen to provide an added incentive by charging landlords full council tax after a property has been empty for six months.

Most of the 2,055 vacant homes are likely to be empty for a short time, say council officials.

Published Thursday July 22, 2004

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