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An additional £1.6million is set to be ploughed into council houses in Babergh and Mid Suffolk to accelerate repairs and improvements.
The cabinets of both Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils will meet on Tuesday and be asked to approve the use of money from reserves to help clear a backlog of repairs, which mounted during the Covid pandemic.
The money would also support wider improvements to the council housing service in both districts. Both councils have made clear their determination to address repair and maintenance issues with their 6,700-plus properties.
Babergh District Council is set to release £943,000 from reserves, and Mid Suffolk Council £672,000.
Cllr Jessie Carter, Babergh’s cabinet member for housing, said:
Earlier this year, the councils referred themselves to the Regulator of Social Housing after falling behind on gas and electric safety checks on a small proportion of properties. In most cases, these inspections are now up to date, and processes have been overhauled.
Cllr Carter said:
If approved by both cabinets, the additional funds would accelerate repair work – providing resources for 2,000 repairs, as well as supporting ongoing changes to the housing service.
Cllr Richard Winch, Mid Suffolk’s cabinet member for housing and property, said:
The report to be discussed on Tuesday notes there has already been reduction by a third of outstanding repairs, while wider improvement work in the councils’ housing service has continued to progress.
This has included overhauling processes and obtaining more robust data, with regular feedback sought from tenants across both districts.
Pictured: Cllr Jessie Carter, Babergh cabinet member for housing, and Cllr Richard Winch, Babergh cabinet member for housing and property