Picture: Steve Grimshaw, centre, receives Regeneration and Renewal award for empty homes scheme from BBC Newsnight's Paul Mason, right.

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

For the past six years, Kent has pioneered a scheme to bring empty properties back into use.

As a Channel 4 programme last night marked National Empty Homes Week by highlighting a crisis at a time when many people are struggling to put a roof over their heads, Kent County Council has long been at the forefront of the battle.

It launched the scheme in 2005 when 9,000 empty properties were identified countywide.

Since then nearly 2,000 have been returned back into use, helping an estimated 6,000 people, according to Steve Grimshaw, KCC project manager.

"It's made a significant impact on numbers," he said. KCC loans are available to refurbish properties, and around £5.3m has already been advanced, leveraging in a further £10.9m of other money, a total of more than £16m.

The economic downturn forced many developers to abandon housing projects. KCC finance has helped maintain the scheme.

It is about to bid for up to £10m of extra finance to ensure the No Use Empty campaign can go on to 2018 at least.

David Ireland, chief executive of the Empty Homes charity, praised the Kent scheme, saying it was the first time a county council had been involved.

Other authorities are now looking at the Kent system. "We've got a proven track record and a history we can share with everybody," said Mr Grimshaw.