YORK has the lowest number of empty homes of any authority across North Yorkshire, new figures have revealed.

Empty homes often become derelict and create havens for anti social behaviour and have proved to be a nuisance to the neighbourhoods they are found in.

However, there are only 194 houses deemed as long term problems after standing empty across the city for six months or more.

The authority has credited this result to a council scheme which brought more than 100 homes back into use over the last 12 months.

Ruth Abbott, City of York Council’s housing standards and adaptations manager, said: "According to council tax records, in October 2014 there were 194 long-term empty properties in the city – those are homes which have been unused for six months or more – and represent just 0.2 per cent of York’s total housing stock of 86,000 homes.

"The previous year’s total was153, with the slight increase due to increased buoyancy and activity within the local housing and construction market, with more homes being bought for conversion or refurbishment thereby leading to longer preparation times for occupation.

"Overall, there has been little change in the number of properties empty for two years or more in York which totalled 51 in October 2013 and 53 in October 2014."

"These low figures are largely due to the work of the council’s empty officer. Since the creation of this role through the authority’s Empty Homes Strategy and New Homes Bonus, the number of long-term empty properties brought back in to use in 2013 and 2014 was 102, while for this year to date, 50 homes have been brought back into use."

Cllr Tracey Simpson-Laing, the authority's cabinet member for Homes and Safer Communities, added: "We ask anyone considering creating homes from currently unused buildings to contact us.

"Together, we can work to bring much-needed, good quality homes into use which can generate new income streams from rent or capital from sale and improve the appearance of neighbourhoods.

"York is a fast-growing city with urgent demand for quality homes for its residents and we want to maximise the potential for everyone’s benefit."