A £20k Scottish Government grant has been awarded to councils across the Forth Valley area to help bring the region's empty homes back into use.

A pilot project, under the guidance of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership which is run by Shelter Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, will see Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils collaborate with an advisory board to identify, refurbish and rent, or sell empty homes.

The project is based on an award-winning scheme currently running in the south east of Scotland and will see a shared full-time empty homes officer working across all three local authority areas.

In addition to the £20k from the Scottish Government, additional funding will be provided from each of the local authorities.

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According to Shelter Scotland, there are 23,000 long-term private empty homes in Scotland of which around 1,600 are located in Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. Meanwhile, there are 157,000 families and individuals on waiting lists for a home in Scotland. Of these statistics, 12,872 households are in Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

Kristen Hubert, Empty Homes Co-ordinator at Shelter Scotland, said: "At a time when housing demand continues to outstrip supply it is important, now more than ever, to think innovatively and make the best use of existing housing stock. It is positive to see proactive joint working to bringing empty homes back into use for families and individuals who desperately need them."

Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess added: "Empty homes are a blight many communities across Scotland, including those in areas of the Forth Valley.

"Bringing these empty homes back into use makes sense because it is a cost-effective way of increasing the supply of housing available to families, providing much needed new homes for hundreds of people.

"The Empty Homes Loan Fund, and wider work being taken forward by Councils as a result of the Shelter Scotland-led Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, can help significantly reduce the number of wasted, empty homes across Scotland."

The Forth Valley pilot is based on the award-winning Homes Again project, a shared services scheme covering five local authorities in the south and east of Scotland.

(JP/CD)