Councillors approve over £4.786 million investment in Inverness housing

20th November 2020

Members of The Highland Council's City of Inverness Area Committee have today agreed a proposed £4,786,000 investment in council housing for 2021-22.

The one-year Inverness Area Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme is part of the Highland wide HRA Capital Plan for 2021-22 which will see over £15m invested in improving the housing stock across the region.

Provost of Inverness and Area Cllr Helen Carmichael welcomed the programme for Inverness which includes kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors replacements, and structural work to roofs, chimneys and the external fabric of properties, with allowance for environmental improvement works and continued funding of equipment and adaptations to allow disabled and elderly tenants to remain in current tenancies.

She said: "This significant investment in our housing stock in the Inverness area will make positive improvements to the lives of many tenants, particularly those improvements relating to the energy efficiency of their homes. I would like to thank tenants for their continued support and understanding that works are being delivered at a slower pace than usual due to coronavirus to ensure their safety. Members also welcome and look forward to identifying priority projects for environmental improvements in their local areas with local housing teams."

A specific priority of the programme approved by Members is improving heating and making homes more energy efficient, with over £2,000,000 of budget approved to replace the oldest and most inefficient heating systems and a further £400,000 for one-off heating replacements. In addition, £300,000 is provisioned for energy efficiency measures on Swedish Timber properties. These priorities reflect the commitment towards improving the energy efficiency of council housing stock in line with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH).

Projects will be progressed as soon as possible in line with government guidance, ensuring the safety of tenants. Progress against current and future programmes will be reported to the next Area Committee and Members will continue to be updated through Ward business meeting updates.

 

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