ST HELENS Council is to consult tenants on proposals to demolish almost 400 council properties, many of them bed-sits and flats which are empty and in poor condition.

But offcials stress that this would be phased in and will not be carried out before all affected tenants are consulted and their views sought.

The council says the proposals will affect some of the poorest of its 16,000 properties across the borough and would offer tenants the chance to upgrade into better accommodation. It would also rid the areas of empty properties which are not only a target for vandalism and crime, but are also almost impossible to let because of their poor condition. The council will be writing to each of the affected tenants and will be following this up with a home visit. In the past couple of years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of empty properties as demand has fallen for council properties. This is a problem faced by many councils with a fall in demand due to a decline in population which looks set to continue. There is also an increase in the number of elderly residents and a growing trend for younger families to seek properties in the private sector.

It is estimated that the five Merseyside councils are likely to need to reduce the numbers of council houses across the region by 25,000 in the next five years, underlining the fact that this is not a St Helens issue alone.

Council leader, Marie Rimmer says: "The views of the tenants will be listened to before any decision is taken. The council is totally committed to improving its housing stock and improving the quality of life for our tenants. Many of these properties lie empty, are difficult to let and suffer from vandalism which affects the environment for those living in the area."