Meet the team

Our staff team

Chris Bailey: Campaign Manager

chris.bailey(at)actiononemptyhomes.org

Chris joined Action on Empty Homes in November 2017. His background is in communications and community-based regeneration

Brighid Carey: Consultancy and Projects Manager

brighid.carey(at)actiononemptyhomes.org

Brighid joined Action on Empty Homes in May 2016 as project manager to deliver a study focussed on bringing empty homes into use through community-based approaches. Brighid is now developing our Community action on empty homes toolkit as a resource for local authorities and community groups.

Will McMahon: Director

will.mcmahon(at)actiononemptyhomes.org

Will joined Action on Empty Homes in August 2018 to help deliver a new strategic direction to the project. Will has worked in a range of voluntary sector and campaigning organisations including the Child Poverty Action Group, the National Children’s Bureau and the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

Our Board

Nick Billingham

Nick is the Head of Devonshires’ Housing Management Department. He has been involved in a number of high profile cases impacting on housing law.

Alice Brownfield

Alice is a qualified Architect and Associate Director at Peter Barber Architects, a leading UK architectural practice specialising in housing and homeless facilities. She has also taught at a number of schools of architecture and is currently a visiting critic at The Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University.

Tom Crowley

Our Chair, Tom Crowley, is a Management and Planning Consultant. From 2005 until April 2018 he was Chief Executive of Horsham District Council in West Sussex. Horsham was active in tackling empty homes, bringing many back to use.

Jon Fitzmaurice

Jon is a senior visiting fellow at Cass Business School, City University, and is the originator and director of self-help-housing.org which promotes and supports community-led self-help housing initiatives

Andy Ford

Andy Ford joined the Board in May 2019. Andy started his career as a Chartered Accountant in local government before becoming a public sector auditor and then a management consultant focused on public sector transformation. He was a partner at PwC between 2004 and 2016.

Latest

Metro features powerful examination of rising empty homes numbers as housing crisis and pandemic worsen

National daily Metro put rising numbers of wasted empty homes in the context of the wider housing crisis and the plight of those at the sharp end. The paper spoke to us about how empties and homelessness are both rising.
Why Nigeria's millions of empty homes count

In Nigeria ..“newly built luxury dwellings are springing up throughout cities made possible often through forced eviction of poor communities. These units do not fulfil any housing need, with many remaining vacant as vehicles for money laundering or investment.” Leilani Farha, September 2019, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Adequate Housing
Will the last investor leaving Southwark please turn out the lights.. until Airbnb is back in business

New Government data shows how the Coronavirus pandemic shines a light on how we keep on building housing which doesn't house anyone: so homelessness rises, affordability declines and home ownership drops. Southwark is the canary in this particular coalmine.
Massive 20% rise in empty homes up over 42,000 to 268,385 while 100,000 families are stuck in Temporary Accommodation

Government data released today shows a massive year on year rise of over 42,000 to a total of 268,385 long-term empty homes in England, as nearly 100,000 families languish in temporary accommodation. This is the biggest rise since current records began.

Will the last investor leaving Southwark please turn out the lights.. until Airbnb is back in business

New Government data shows how the Coronavirus pandemic shines a light on how we keep on building housing which doesn't house anyone: so homelessness rises, affordability declines and home ownership drops. Southwark is the canary in this particular coalmine.
Massive 20% rise in empty homes up over 42,000 to 268,385 while 100,000 families are stuck in Temporary Accommodation

Government data released today shows a massive year on year rise of over 42,000 to a total of 268,385 long-term empty homes in England, as nearly 100,000 families languish in temporary accommodation. This is the biggest rise since current records began.
Where are Haringey's Second Homes?

Why is Haringey the only council in the country not submitting crucial housing data to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government?
Pretty Vacant

Our new report on why the next 500 high-rise towers in London won't end the capitals's housing crisis. And how they will make it worse.
What we do

Action on Empty Homes campaigns for empty homes to be brought into use for people in housing need. We raise awareness, campaign for policy change, provide advice and research and develop ideas to help bring empty homes into use
Empty Homes England 2019 is available now

Our new annual report on the state of the empty homes problem in England reports the second consecutive annual increase in numbers to over 216,000 and the fastest rise in a decade
Publications and Research

We produce four types of publications: Campaign publications advocating policy responses to end the waste of empty homes Research and analysis of the issue including Empty Homes in England, the only comprehensive annual analysis of official data Reports on active programmes to bring empty homes into use Practical toolkits to support those working in the field
Meet the team

Our staff team and Board of Trustees work closely together to ensure that Action on Empty Homes campaigns for change in the most effective way.
Why empty homes matter

There are over 216,000 homes long-term empty when England needs over 300,000 additional homes each year. Bringing long-term empty homes back into use will also help rebuild neighbourhoods and make environmental sense.
The solutions

We believe in community-led action to tackle empty homes, encouraged by active local authorities to support grassroots initiatives, underpinned by a government investment strategy to bring long-term empties back into use.