Vacant council house figures disputed

SENIOR council officials have claimed the true extent of vacant local authority houses is much lower than official figures would suggest.

The City and County Managers Association (CCMA) has insisted the actual number of county council homes available for letting is just 1.5% of the total local authority housing stock, although the official rate is more than three times higher.

Although Department of the Environment figures show that 6,113 local authority housing units were unoccupied at the end of last year, the CCMA claimed the true figure was significantly lower.