Angela Rayner said the Government would make it easier for councils to take control of privately owned homes that have been empty for more than six months, so they can be brought back into use for families facing homelessness. The proposed changes to Empty Dwelling Management Orders are part of efforts to address the housing shortage and support Labour’s target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029.

Rayner said the reforms would shorten the current two-year vacancy threshold, speed up the tribunal process and protect councils from costs associated with using the orders. England has around 300,000 empty homes, but no applications for these orders have been made since 2021. The announcement came at Labour’s conference, where Rayner thanked party members for supporting her after she left the Cabinet over an unpaid £40,000 stamp duty bill linked to a holiday home; the Conservatives criticised the plans as an attack on property rights.