Liverpool has some 10,000 homes currently sitting empty within its borders but its councillors are this evening discussing spending millions helping private landlords with renovations.

The £7m scheme involves part of the funding being used to enable 365 privately owned rental properties that have been vacant for more than a year to be brought back into use. 

But there’s a catch for the landlords: in exchange, the city council would have the right to nominate tenants for the homes over the following three years.

Liverpool’s Labour leaders say the grants would save the organisation £13.3m by reducing the cost of temporary accommodation.

Other parts of the capital expenditure programme likely to be approved this evening involve the modernisation of leisure centres to provide new gym equipment, upgrade 3G pitches, and improve reception areas; bringing new benches to a series of parks, resurfacing pathways, and installing litter bins; upgrading 23 playgrounds; and rolling out communal bin hubs to reduce flytipping and encourage recycling.

Councillor Ruth Bennett, Liverpool’s deputy council leader and cabinet member for finance, resources, and transformation, says: “We know that having things such as decent leisure facilities, play areas and parks, as well as clean streets, alleyways and properties that are not in a state of disrepair make a real difference to everyday life. This is about making sure that people feel they are getting value-for-money from their Council Tax and the money we are spending is used in their neighbourhood.”