EMPTY homes across the region are "an anathema", according to the leader of Bridport Town Council.

Councillor David Rickard made the comments after the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published the latest data on empty houses in the county.

Data from the government department shows at least 1,132 homes liable for council tax in Dorset have been left unoccupied for at six months in the latest count to October: a slight decrease from 1,146 the previous year.

Cllr Rickard said the issue was made more pressing with 'so many people struggling to buy or rent a home' and added an increase in the number of holiday lets and second homes was only making the problem worse.

He said: "Clearly, empty homes are an anathema when so many people struggle to buy or rent a home. We support Dorset Council's programme to reduce unoccupied residences, but would like to see more reporting of their efforts and successes. Keeping the public informed of what councils do on behalf of their residents is a key part of democracy.

"A much bigger problem and a growing one is the number of residences in Dorset being taken out of the housing market as they are turned into holiday lets and second homes. Both issues are poorly served by government legislation."

Councils in the Bridport area attempted to introduce restrictions on second homes - called the Principal Residence Policy - when drafting the Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan in 2019.

The proposal was rejected at the time by the Planning Inspector, who judged that the evidence did not support a need for such a policy. 

A spokesperson for the town council confirmed that the Neighbourhood Plan Joint Councils Committee will revisit the issue when the plan is next reviewed, before deciding whether to try again to add the policy.

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "Long term empty properties are a wasted housing resource and can become a blight on our communities. This is why Dorset Council has a housing priority to bring long term empty properties back into use.

 “We use a wide variety of interventions to do this, including giving advice to support and encourage voluntary action and offering loans and other incentives to owners, to bring them back into use. Where negotiations fail, we can use enforcement action such as compulsory purchase order (CPO) or agreed sale prior to commencement of a CPO.