That the Parliament notes that 25 out of 32 local authorities have empty homes officers; recognises what it sees as the valued service that they provide; notes their on-the-ground experience of the diversity and complexity of the issue of long-term empty homes, particularly in the private sector, estimated to be around 40,000 houses, and with experience that will vary in different parts of Scotland, and urges the Scottish Government to meet with them as, it believes, this would seem a good place to start to determine what is and is not working to bring as many of these houses back into occupancy as homes.
Supported by: Karen Adam, Jeremy Balfour, Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Ariane Burgess, Alexander Burnett, Maggie Chapman, Annabelle Ewing, Fulton MacGregor, Ruth Maguire, Ash Regan, Mark Ruskell, Paul Sweeney, Elena Whitham