EHN Awards 2025 | Awards successes highlight strength and depth of empty homes work nationally
Latest news
June 4, 2025
Presented at our National Conference in Birmingham on 21st May, the EHN Awards give the Network the opportunity to recognise and celebrate the work that empty homes officers, teams and practitioners do on a daily basis, and enable them to promote their successes through national recognition. This year is no exception, with councils, officers and organisations going increasingly further to showcase incredible examples of innovation, partnership working or individual persistence to make lasting change, and significant differences. These awards present the opportunity to share with others the great work being done across the country, and give recognition to the outstanding achievements of teams, organisations and individuals. Our winners, and those highly commended in each of the award categories, are highlighted below.
On selecting the winner of this award, the panel said: “Argyll & Bute Council has broken new ground with a pioneering project that directly links empty homes work to workforce retention in critical public services. In partnership with the Scottish Government and the Health & Social Care Partnership, they created a first-of-its-kind role, an Empty Homes Officer dedicated to securing homes for key workers in an area facing acute housing and recruitment pressures. By combining empathy, local knowledge and strategic thinking, the project has delivered new accommodation solutions, sparked cross-sector collaboration, and inspired discretionary grants and renovation efforts. This innovative model is not only tackling empty homes but sustaining essential services and communities. A visionary and well-deserved winner of the Innovation Award.”
In giving this award, the panel said: “Durham County Council has shown the extraordinary value of partnership working through a series of complex and challenging cases, each resolved through collaboration, persistence, and care. From supporting a developer to provide much-needed temporary accommodation, to working with safeguarding teams, social workers, and enforcement partners to bring long-neglected properties back into use, their approach has been both strategic and compassionate. These efforts not only revitalised homes, but supported vulnerable residents, improved neighbourhoods, and built trust with communities. Durham’s commitment to forging effective partnerships—both large and small—has made a lasting difference. A shining example of what can be achieved through true collaboration, and a thoroughly deserving winner of the Best Partnership Award.”
Highly Commended: Argyll & Bute Council, Bristol City Council, Wychavon District Council, Durham County Council
Joint Winners: Cumberland Council, Plymouth City Council
On awarding our first joint winner, the panel said: “Cumberland Council’s response to one of the most complex and long-running empty homes cases in their region stands as a powerful example of persistence, partnership, and community impact. Faced with a property linked to criminal activity and vacant for two decades, their team, working through a dedicated multi-agency hub, navigated an exhausting legal process, coordinated enforcement action, and ultimately helped push through an enforced sale. Despite repeated failed auctions and escalating anti-social behaviour, they never gave up. Their resilience and support finally enabled a committed new owner to restore the home, leading not just to a reoccupied property, but a visibly revitalised neighbourhood. A remarkable transformation, and a truly deserving joint recipient of the Meeting the Challenge award”.
On awarding our second joint winner, the panel said: “Plymouth City Council has shown the power of early intervention, compassion, and cross-departmental innovation in their approach to tackling empty homes. Rather than waiting for problems to arise, the team proactively reviewed council tax records for properties left empty due to long-term care—offering support before these homes fell into disrepair. One case in particular highlights the impact of this work: by reaching out to a family struggling with care costs and uncertainty, the team provided vital advice, signposted support, and enabled a successful property sale that secured future care funding for the owner. This was more than an empty homes intervention, it was a lifeline, delivered with empathy and expertise. A truly deserving joint winner of the Meeting the Challenge award.”
Best Before and After Photograph Award – Sponsored by YouSpotProperty
Highly Commended: Cumberland Council, No Use Empty: Kent, Plymouth City Council
Winners: Sunderland City Council, Durham County Council
On awarding our first joint winner of this award, the panel were struck by two submissions from the same authority, which quite easily could be used in a national campaign, or even in the Network’s promotional material. Nothing quite shows the difference in what a refurbished empty home can do to a street scene than these two submissions.
Our second joint winner, showing how good quality and thorough refurbishments can create healthy homes from blight and degradation, is awarded to Durham County Council
Highly Commended: Bristol City Council, No Use Empty: Kent, North Norfolk District Council
Winner: Wychavon District Council
With some fantastic submissions, bringing to life the call to action to empty home owners, or sharing an authority’s success locally, there was however, one standout submission.
“Wychavon District Council’s 2024 campaign, Rebuilding Trust, Driving Action, has shown the transformative power of creative, confident communication. Faced with public scepticism and low engagement, the council has reimagined its entire media approach to empty homes, delivering a bold, multi-channel campaign that not only raised awareness, but rebuilt confidence in the service. Through eye-catching seasonal social media, local press coverage, and a widely distributed council magazine feature, they have demonstrated real results and helped spark a threefold increase in reporting. With engagement up, perceptions shifting, and momentum still growing, Wychavon has set a new benchmark for how local authorities can use media to change minds and engage communities. A thoroughly deserving winner of the Best Use of Media Award.'“
Highly Commended: Claudia Bowring | Rushcliffe Borough Council, Laura Moss | Cumberland Council, Maddy Walker | Bristol City Council, Jim Turner | North Tyneside Council, The Empty Homes Team | Manchester City Council, Isla Binnie | Argyll & Bute Council
Joint Winners: Theresa Brooks | Plymouth City Council, Ann-Marie Bishop | Wychavon District Council
In recognising our first joint winner, the panel said: “Work in bringing empty homes back into use requires not only an ability to deal with individual cases, but the vision to identify common challenges and then work with others to find unique solutions, this is exactly what our rising star joint winner has been able to do. In their brief career to date this new empty homes practitioner has identified a number of key projects which have the potential to unlock significant benefits. From their work with homelessness teams, Public Protection, Building Control, Planning Enforcement and Council Tax, judges were impressed with the wide-ranging partnerships this rising star has been able to build. They were particularly impressed with their work with social care colleagues to jointly tackle the issue of homeowners going into care, leaving a property long term empty and how their work will proactively get ahead of the problem and make headway into this significant and often missed area of ‘hidden empties’.”
On awarding our second joint winner, the judges said: “Starting your empty homes journey in an established team is one achievement, doing it for a Council where historically empty homes might have been viewed negatively, even with hostility, is quite another. But this is exactly what our second rising star joint winner has been able to do. Judges were impressed by the way our joint winner went about transforming the empty homes service of their local authority, literally from the ground up. From new systems to identify, map and prioritise target properties, to designing new ‘comms’ routes to engage property owners and forging partnerships with genealogists. This rising star of empty home work has not just fully embraced the power of empathy, understanding and persuasion, but also is developing their enforcement toolkit to bring about tangible, impressive and meaningful change. This has not just caught the eye of local officers and politicians, but also an adjoining local authority who now wants to copy their approach.”
Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year Award – Sponsored by No Use Empty: Kent
Highly Commended: Sarah Kitching | Durham County Council, Chris Clark | Durham County Council, Isla Binnie | Argyll & Bute Council
Joint Winners: Philip Turner | Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Claire Weedy | North Tyneside Council
On awarding our first joint winner of this award, the panel said: “Phil has brought energy, creativity, and determination to Great Yarmouth’s empty homes work since stepping into the role in 2021. With a flair for problem-solving and a willingness to explore underused enforcement powers, Phil has tackled long-standing and complex cases—including a derelict hotel and properties with safety risks—using innovative approaches and legal tools not previously applied by the council. His proactive work has led to stronger multi-agency coordination, the creation of a dedicated task force, and the development of new community engagement strategies. Phil’s commitment, insight, and hands-on approach make him a truly deserving joint winner of the Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year award.”
On awarding our second joint winner, the panel said: “Through her commitment to revitalising North Tyneside’s approach to empty homes, Claire has demonstrated exceptional initiative and innovation. Stepping into a long-vacant role, Claire quickly built strong networks and developed a more robust and inclusive data system, helping to identify and prioritise challenging cases such as probate properties. Her collaborative approach has strengthened multi-agency working, supported successful enforcement strategies, and enabled the recovery of significant council tax debt. Claire’s creativity and drive have also led to the establishment of new purchase and repair schemes and a pioneering investor register, unlocking solutions for some of the borough’s most complex properties. A proactive and inspiring practitioner, Claire is a thoroughly deserving recipient of the Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year award.”
“For two decades, No Use Empty: Kent has stood as a beacon of innovation, persistence, and national leadership in empty homes work. What began as a pilot scheme in 2005 has grown into the UK’s longest-running and most successful initiative of its kind, bringing nearly 9,000 properties back into use, unlocking over £160 million in public and private investment, and inspiring both national policy interest and replication.
With a small but dedicated team, they have shown how creativity, sound financial models, and deep local partnerships can transform empty properties into vibrant community assets. Their work now extends beyond homes to include high streets and business spaces, generating impact far beyond bricks and mortar. As they celebrate their 20th anniversary, The Empty Homes Network would like to specially recognise No Use Empty Kent, not only for what they’ve achieved, but also for being a best practice example for others to learn from, take inspiration, and follow. A truly worthy recipient of this Special Recognition Award for 2025.”
