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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 30 October 2025. It was answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 November 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.


Retail Trade: Empty Property

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83617 on Retail Trade: Empty Property, how many High Street Rental Auctions have been held.

Answer

The auction is the final stage of the High Street Rental Auction process which supports councils to reoccupy vacant commercial units. These powers were introduced in December 2024 and early adopter councils confirmed in March 2025. Since then, no council has reached the auction stage, but there are a number of councils that have reported closer engagement with landlords after designating the high street resulting in new lettings and sales of long term vacant units.

Since the powers were recently introduced, no specific assessment has yet been made, but the government is working closely with early adopter councils to support and monitor delivery.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
86155
Session
2024-26
Related items
Retail Trade: Empty Property
Monday, 27 October 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Auctions Empty property Retail trade
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk