Labour has confirmed that it will compel landlords of high street shops to rent out their premises if they stand empty for too long.

This is a Conservative policy first announced by former housing minister Jacob Young in May this year, a measure contained within part 10 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

This will include shops and other high street premises that have been empty for a year. After that, councils can use High Street Rental Auctions to take control of empty properties and rent them out to local businesses in a bid to increase footfall and tackle wide-ranging related issues such as increased unemployment and anti-social behaviour.

Leases will be auctioned for up to five years, with no reserve price, giving local firms and community groups the chance to occupy space on the high street at a competitive market rate.

Under the original plans, the first auctions were due to start this year

In response to a question from Labour MP Simon Opher on whether the policy would be continued under the new Government, housing minister Alex Norris (pictured) replied that: “The Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and tackling the issue of persistent vacancy.

“To achieve this, we will implement new High Street Rental Auctions as set out in Part 10 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.

“This will empower local authorities to require landlords to rent out persistently vacant commercial properties to new tenants. Secondary legislation will be introduced shortly to enable local authorities to exercise this power.”

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