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East Suffolk and West Suffolk have the most empty homes in the whole of the East of England, research by Admiral suggests




Two of Suffolk's five districts, East Suffolk and West Suffolk, had the most empty homes in the whole of the East of England as of March this year, data released by insurance company Admiral suggests.

The research, carried out through Freedom of Information requests to local councils, found a total of more 24,000 properties collectively worth £7 billion have been sitting empty across the East of England for months and, in some cases, years.

East Suffolk had the highest number of houses that have been long-term vacant in the whole of the region, with 1,309 properties empty in the district for two years or more.

East Suffolk is the district with the highest number of long term vacant homes in the region. Picture: iStock.
East Suffolk is the district with the highest number of long term vacant homes in the region. Picture: iStock.

This amounts to a collective value of £321 million.

Data shows West Suffolk came in second in the region, with 769 properties reported empty for more than two years at an estimated value of £192 million.

Other districts in the list of most long-term vacant properties included Tendring in Essex, which came in at 670, Breckland in Norfolk, which had 667, and Braintree in Essex, with 589.

East Suffolk also placed seventh in the list of the 10 councils in the whole of England that have the highest number of homes empty for two years or more.

The research also suggests that in 2020, over a quarter of a million people in England alone were placed in temporary accommodation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Between 2019 and 2020, 89 per cent of local authorities in England saw an increase in long-term vacancies.

In England overall, a total of 268,385 houses have stood vacant for at least 6 months at a collective value of £66.8 billion, the equivalent to 11 in every 1,000 houses.

For more on the Admiral report, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk