Petition Pro-squatting laws

The government should take an active role in squatting, and instead of criminalizing it should be considering ways in which that unused houses can be utilized by the homeless and the economically disadvantaged. according to http://emptyhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/emptyhomes2010.pdf there were over 730,000 vacant residential properties in the UK in 2010 and in certain areas there are high percentages of vacant residential properties including in Burnley where 7.95% of houses are uninhabited.
Co-operation between squatters and the government could encorage employment in the renovation of these properties and could also potentially generate revenue for the government through council taxes etc, whilst also helping people to get a roof over their heads at night.