£13M plan aims to bring all Melton Council's housing up to standard

Melton Council has pledged to ensure all of its housing meets the ‘decent homes’ standard inside six years.

It rents out around 1,800 properties across the borough and 335 have been identified as failing the required standard, many of them because their heating systems are more than 15 years old and also because a good number contain kitchens and bathrooms which need replacing.

Councillors voted this week to adopt a new Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Asset Management Plan, which represents a multi-million-pound overhaul of its homes taking into account feedback from tenants.

Other major aims of the plan are to replace all aluminium windows with UPVCs and to remove remaining storage heaters in 240 homes in favour of installing energy efficient alternatives within the next five years.

Councillor Ronan Browne, portfolio holder for housing and landlord services, said “Listening to our tenants is essential in helping shape the way that we improve and deliver services to them.

"In the creation of our new Asset Management Plan we have surveyed the majority of our housing stock and consulted with our tenants to gain the best understanding of where our priorities should be and proposed an initial investment of £12.85 million over the next five years to carry out the improvements.”

The council has used data from a survey of over 90 per cent of its housing stock to prioritise what needs to be done, with work set to run through to 2028.

Officers will consult more closely with tenants on planned improvements and give them more choices on what is done.

There will be an evidence led and proactive approach to identifying and addressing common causes of damp and mould.

Next year will also see the start of work to upgrade and improve bathroom facilities for people living at the Gretton Court retirement complex in the town.

Councillor Browne added: “This plan will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is still fit for purpose and delivering on our goals year on year, with further proposals and investment being considered if required.

"Our biggest challenge is ensuring energy efficiency and balancing this with ensuring homes are affordable to tenants, but this new plan outlines how we can keep homes modern, safe, and affordable for those who live in them.”