14/06/10 - Chris Kelly MP speaks out on NHS derelict Wordsley homes

Chris Kelly MP has expressed his outrage and concern over the number of empty properties owned by the local NHS within his constituency.

Following complaints from residents in Wordsley, Mr Kelly will approach local NHS bosses and ask why they have over a dozen homes derelict.

Mr Kelly commented: “There are about 12 properties in one of the most desirable parts of Wordsley just lying vacant and whose value falls still further each and every day. When all departments of the public sector are tightening their belts and preparing for the toughest budgets in living memory it is absurd that up to £2m of property is empty and decaying. These properties should be released onto the open market – I would like to see a developer renovate or re-build them as family homes with sizable gardens. It is not the role of the NHS to have property portfolios that they do not maintain.”

Local residents Carole Smith and Sheila Taylor, both of Ashdown Drive, have complained many times to the NHS but those complaints have fallen on deaf ears. Following a meeting with Mr Kelly, Mrs Taylor said: “My daughter wished to purchase one some years ago to remain close to her family but gave up due to the bureaucracy surrounding it.”

Mrs Smith added: “Some of us have tried to sell our properties but when viewers come they see grass six foot high opposite and windows falling out of the rookeries and then lose interest. No one wants to move opposite such an eyesore.”

Finally, Chris Kelly added: “I want local NHS bosses to sort this issue out. They are crying out for more funding and yet a substantial amount from a million or up to nearly two million pounds could be available from the disposal of these properties in Ashdown Drive. Every month that goes by the value of the vacant properties falls. These houses would certainly have made £2m at the height of the property market but now, due to market conditions and the poor state of the properties, they could be worth a lot less. This is public money that the NHS is sitting on.”

Click here for coverage in the Stourbridge News.