Addressing Oldham’s empty homes would "help save Green Belt" say Lib Dems Date published: 09 February 2021 Oldham Council said that in November 2020, 1137 private homes were empty Oldham's Liberal Democrat group say tackling the "empty homes scandal" in the borough could help save the borough's green spaces. More than 1,100 private homes are empty in Oldham, and the Lib Dems would like to see them brought back into use to help address homelessness and to reduce the pressure to build new housing on the Green Belt. Following a Freedom of Information request, figures released by Oldham Council showed that in November 2020, 1137 private homes were empty, many for long periods of time. Government figures published in December 2020 also show that 5,421 households were on Oldham Council’s housing waiting list.