HARLOW Council is proposing to invest £120 million to transform council homes this year.

The council says that over £60 million is set to be invested into upgrading and improving existing council homes with a further £59 million to deliver and improve council housing services that its tenants want including quicker repairs and better maintenance.

The council’s housing budget proposals for 2024 to 2025 include:

• £12.6 million towards fire safety and compliance works across council homes and flat blocks and £7 million to support residents and the proposed demolition of the Sycamore Field flats due to fire safety works

• Over £7 million towards upgrading the external features of existing council homes

• £2 million towards roof replacements on council homes

• Over £37 million to build new council homes for Harlow families

• Significant investments into energy efficiency, upgrading housing estates, aids and adaptations, new kitchens and bathrooms, and structural works

• More funding for repairs and maintenance of council homes through the HTS (the council’s maintenance company) contract to continue the improvement on repair timeframes and turnaround times on empty properties

• Funding to continue the specialist stock condition survey and tenancy audit programmes to ensure improved planned maintenance of properties

• A 7.7% housing rent increase in line with government guidelines taking the average rent from £104.18 to £112.20 a week; more money will go towards funding improvements for tenants

• Investment to further improve landscape maintenance, cleaning and other service provisions for tenants and leaseholders

• More investment into existing garages to bring them up to standard

• Increased funding to deliver the garage demolition programme to create new car parking in estates

Commenting on the proposals, the Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing, Councillor David Carter said: “Since June we have been focussed on fixing council housing by clearing the backlog in housing repairs, speeding up the turnaround time on empty homes, ensuring local homes are for local families and much more besides.

“As we now move forward on our mission to transform Harlow’s housing, we are set to invest £120 million into our council homes and council housing services this year. To do that, we must increase council rents in line with the Government formula, but by doing so we can significantly improve the services tenants receive and upgrading our council homes. Even with this rent increase, we remain the lowest council housing rents compared with any comparative council with the increase taking the average rent from £104.18 per week up to £112.20 per week, but this added investment will mean better services and better homes for our tenants. ”

The council’s budget proposals will be discussed at this Thursday’s (15 February) Cabinet meeting and debated at the Full Council meeting on 22 February 2024.