Investments totalling more than £20m to make sure Barnsley’s council housing stock is maintained to a decent standard are recommended for approval by Barnsley Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 22 March.
The council first met the Decent Homes Standard for all its housing stock in December 2010, after investing £300m between 2004 and 2010. Since January 2011, Berneslai Homes has implemented and managed the Barnsley Homes Standard programme to maintain the social rented housing stock at the Decency Standard on behalf of Barnsley Council.
If approved by Cabinet, the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Investment Programme for 2023/24 will see £20.394m invested across our housing stock during the coming financial year. This is part of the £62m investment between now and 2027 announced earlier this year for a variety of repair, maintenance and improvement works. More than half of this is earmarked for energy efficiency improvements.
The work outlined in the report includes £9.6m for Barnsley Homes Standard works to 1,080 properties, which may include a combination of full or partial kitchen or bathroom replacements, heating system improvements, electrical rewires and upgrades and external works to properties.
In addition, there will be ££5.229m allocated for various additional works at 1,789 properties including roofing, heating replacements, and other heating works, as well as a schedule of replacement of various items where needed at properties not covered by this year’s Berneslai Homes Standard programme. This may include kitchen, bathroom, guttering, door or window replacements.
Some properties will have boiler replacements. Changing to a modern boiler, on a typical semi-detached property, could save the tenant approximately £105 a year on their energy costs. This will contribute towards reducing fuel poverty in the borough while also reducing the carbon footprint of our housing stock. This investment will also help reduce the cost and disruption of boiler breakdown callouts.
There will be a further £5.6m in supplemental investments including some works to district heating networks, adaptations for tenants with special needs, one-off structural works, re-wiring and refurbishment works at community centres.
Cllr Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “We’re committed to making sure our borough has a variety of sustainable, quality housing, so you can live in the right home for you.
“Our council housing stock is a hugely important part of this commitment and I’m delighted to recommend this significant investment in our social housing to Cabinet. This is about making sure tenants can continue to live comfortably, in warm, energy-efficient homes, both now and for many years to come.”