Leaders and officers at Hartlepool Borough Council say they are looking at a “more aggressive” approach to tackling the estimated 2,000 properties that were either derelict or empty in their area last year.

According to a report from the local authority’s audit and governance committee, this amounts to almost 5 per cent of the total properties in the borough, with the vast majority of these (85 per cent) privately owned.

The report warns that those in the town centre in particular risk becoming “a catalyst for crime and economic and social degradation”. It adds, however, that many of the options to bring them back into use are “lengthy and costly” under current legislation, with no “one size fits all” solution.

Committee members were also surprised to discover that some owners were making a conscious decision to leave their properties unoccupied. Other reasons for buildings falling out of use included ownership disputes, lack of rental demand and costs of restoration.

The officers’ recommendations include calling on the government to review national policy and legislation, establishing an empty homes policy and potentially considering increased council tax liability and earlier enforcement action.

According to latest census data the population of Hartlepool increased by just 300 people (0.3 per cent) between 2011 and 2021, with council leaders recently warning the authority is facing a £10m budget gap next year

James Magog, the authority’s director of finance, IT and digital, told local media this represented a “very significant challenge” with the shortfall potentially widening because of increasing social care costs.

Mr Magog added: “The funding system is fundamentally failing Hartlepool, we’ve got some significant cost pressures around children’s social care. I think there will have to be some very difficult decisions taken over the course of this year.”