SOMERSET Council is unable to state where more than 2,300 empty homes are in Somerset because the system needed to do this is “still being developed”.

As part of National Empty Homes Week, the council has been offering advice and support to homeowners, including pointing them to grants to help bring empty properties back into use and avoid additional council tax charges.

The council revealed that the number of empty properties in Somerset has slightly fallen from 2,406 in 2024 to 2,333 in 2025 – a drop of 73 homes, or around three per cent.

But when asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service for a breakdown of where in Somerset these empty homes were located, the council said it was unable to comply because it does not currently have a system for producing that data.

Nearly three years on from its creation, the council is still running on five different planning systems inherited from Somerset County Council and the four district councils.

The council confirmed that it “does not currently has a system” to “break down the empty homes by location”, and that such a system is “still being developed”.

A spokesperson said: “Local authorities work out the number of empty homes mainly by using council tax records. These records show which properties are marked as unoccupied.

“Our officers then review the list throughout the year by contacting owners, checking reports from residents, and working with teams such as environmental health and building control.

“The total number of empty homes comes from a mix of council tax data, direct checks with owners, on‑the‑ground verification, and national definitions.”

Grants and loans are available to owners of homes that have been empty for an extended period so that they can undertake essential repairs to bring properties back into use.