MELKSHAM’s mayor, Cllr Jon Hubbard, has strongly condemned the NHS policy that has kept two homes empty for more than a decade.

He says it is “scandalous” the three-bedroom homes owned by the NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group have stood empty for the past ten years.

The two semi-detached houses, known as 1 and 2 The Lodge, remain boarded up at the entrance to the Melksham Community Hospital driveway in Spa Road.

Cllr Hubbard said: “I am very angry about this, it’s my pet hate. I have written to the Wiltshire CCG and Wiltshire Council to challenge them about this issue but the CCG has just ignored it.

“It’s scandalous that these properties, which would make two fantastic family homes, are being left empty and will, of course, be costing the NHS money to keep empty.

“Wiltshire Council has imposed a punitive council tax rate on them, so they are paying to keep homeless people on the streets.

“They could be using the rental income from these properties to help make sick people better.”

Martin Doughty, of Spa Road, has complained to Cllr Hubbard and his local MP, Michelle Donelan, about the situation.

The 73-year-old pensioner said: “The places are all boarded up and I think it’s an appalling waste. It is disappointing that bad management has allowed these houses to get into this state of disrepair.

“If they had refurbished them ten years ago and put in new kitchens and bathrooms it probably would have cost about £10,000 for each house. Now, it’s likely to cost four times as much.

“Even at a modest rental of £750 a month over ten years this would recoup the cash-strapped NHS £180,000 less running costs."

A Wiltshire CCG spokesman said: “We have used the information from last year’s planning exercise to shape the strategic assessment of the current and future requirements for health services across Wiltshire.

“The assessment process is underway and once completed we will be in a position to make decisions about how best to deliver locally based health services, which will include the use of buildings such as the houses in Melksham.”

Cllr Richard Clewer, Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for housing, said: “We have a five-year strategy and action plan to tackle homelessness.

"We work closely with our partners to help people secure suitable homes and we provide continued support.

“We are investing in building 1,000 more council homes over the next 10 years including housing at social rent levels to ensure affordable housing for the most vulnerable is available.”