To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty or abandoned properties there were in the Elevate area of East Lancashire when the body was established; and how many there are now. (142793)

Elevate, the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder for East Lancashire, was formed in 2003. In December of that year they submitted their first strategic plan for housing market renewal, which indicated that there were 8,000 empty properties in the Pathfinder intervention area. These are properties that have been empty for six or more months. At the end of the financial year 2006-07 there were 6,017 empty properties.