Brighton and Hove has one of the worst housing problems in the United Kingdom with hundreds of people who are homeless and thousands on the waiting list.

Despite this, there are almost 2,500 homes standing empty while hundreds more are holiday lets occupied for only a few weeks each year.

Brighton and Hove City Council has joined forces with landlords to try to get some of these homes back into use.

But there is a limit to what it can do under the law and much has to be achieved by friendly persuasion.

Now the Government is looking at imposing penalties on owners who make no attempt to fill their homes. This is likely to lead to major changes.

It may also end the rebate given to owners of holiday homes who pay only half the normal council tax although this will have a comparatively minor effect.

At present there is a financial incentive for many people to keep homes empty, which runs against what is needed in the city.

The new measures will encourage many owners to put their homes back on the market and help solve the housing crisis.

They will also increase the council tax yield for the authority, which can plough back some of the cash into housing improvements.