£1bn worth of homes stand empty in Black Country and Staffordshire

The scale of the region's housing crisis can be laid bare as it is revealed a total of 5,602 properties lay vacant for at least six months across the region in 2016.

Worst hit was Wolverhampton with 1,232 empty homes, while Sandwell had 1,171, Dudley 1,005, Walsall 959, Stafford 661, Cannock Chase 307 and Wyre Forest 267.

Black Country LEP board member Ninder Johal labelled the figures 'astonishing' and said getting the homes back in use must be a priority for councils.

Mr Johal told the Express & Star: "This is an astonishing amount and helps you understand why we have a housing crisis.

"What we need to do is make productive use of these houses, but also any land that is lying disused.

"We need to have a proper look at what we can do to resolve this crisis.

"It will continue to be a priority for the LEP but also needs to be something for the West Midlands Combined Authority.

"We need to look at how to unlock the potential in these buildings and make serious inroads into our housing crisis."

The cost of Wolverhampton's empty homes in 2016 was £268 million according to the Department for Communities and Local Government figures compiled by property investment firm Property Partner.

Empty homes in Sandwell were worth £255 million, Dudley £219 million, Walsall £209 million, Stafford £144 million, Cannock Chase £67 million and Stafford £58 million.

Wolverhampton Conservative group leader Wendy Thompson said the city's vacant homes were 'a crying shame' for families.

She said: "These figures are absolutely amazing.

"It is a crying shame to see empty houses that would make good family homes standing for too long.

"Families need homes. It is very detrimental to communities if there are too many empty houses.

"The figures sound staggering, but there is also a human factor."

Dudley North MP Ian Austin said: “I meet people every week desperate to get a home of their own, particularly young families working hard but struggling to get by.

"I’d like to see local councils working with home owners to bring these homes into use and we need a Government that funds councils properly and takes housing seriously.”

Across the country more than 200,000 homes - with a total value of £43bn - were empty for at least six months during 2016 despite a shortage of properties to rent and buy.