Rotherham sets out phase two of council homes programme
In light of expected changes to national housing rules, councillors will consider a plan that invests a further £123m and an additional 500 new homes.
The plan also pledges to spend £1.33bn in the council’s existing housing stock over the next 30 years – £350m more than in 2025/26.
That means that the expected spend on every Council property over the lifetime of the plan will be increased to £60,000.
Back in 2019, councillors set out a goal of 1,000 new council homes, which was the biggest expansion of the council’s properties since the 1970s.
Since then, more than 730 have been built or bought, meaning that the goal is expected to be reached in 2027.
Rotherham Council will set out the plans for the second phase in its new council homes programme at its cabinet meeting on 15 December.
More than 9,000 properties will be upgraded to make them more energy efficient by 2030 – around 19,500 households in Rotherham are Council tenancies.
The council and its contractors, Equans and Mears, complete around 90,000 repairs and servicing visits a year and cabinet will also be asked to approve that Equans and Mears remain as the council’s contractors until 2030.
Cllr Linda Beresford, cabinet member for housing, said: “We are committed to making significant investments that improve the quality of life for our tenants.
“We are proposing to increase spending on the council’s properties to £43.3m in the next year to cover costs including day-to-day responsive repairs, planned repairs like replacement doors and windows and kitchen repairs and damp and mould works.
“With our investment, plus that coming from the government, more than half of our tenants will see works to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, helping to lower heating bills. These are plans that will bring real, tangible benefits to our tenants.”
