feature: Decent homes for all
17 March 2008
Council tenants across Haringey will be able to enjoy better quality housing after the government gave the borough almost £200 million to improve its housing stock.
It is the biggest allocation of funding in Haringey’s history, and it’s the best possible news for council tenants.
The £198.5 million government award for Haringey’s decent homes programme will pay for a huge range of improvements to council properties across the borough.
Homes for Haringey, which manages the borough’s housing stock on behalf of Haringey Council, will be able to replace roofs, rewire properties, introduce double glazing and install better insulation to make homes more energy efficient. Some outdated kitchens and bathrooms will also be replaced.
Cabinet member for housing Cllr Isidoros Diakides said:
“It’s very pleasing that I can now definitively promise a decent home to council tenants across Haringey.
“This funding will directly benefit the people of the borough who are most vulnerable and in the greatest need.
“I’d like to thank the government for listening carefully to our case and for recognising the need to substantially improve the quality of our housing stock. I am very much looking forward to working closely with our residents to deliver major improvements to homes across Haringey.”
Mike Jones, Chair of Homes for Haringey’s board, added:
“This is great news for Haringey Council and for us, but our tenants will benefit the most.
“It feels great to finally have the money to get started and deliver on what we promised. We’ll be working closely with the council, who have been instrumental in setting up the ALMO and ensuring we got this money, and residents, to make sure the money is spent wisely.”
More than 7,000 of the 16,500 tenants’ homes that Homes for Haringey manages on behalf of Haringey Council will need some work done.
The others already meet the government’s decent homes standard, which aims to ensure that all properties are warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities.
A number of properties have already been surveyed in depth to identify exactly what needs to be done in individual homes. Homes for Haringey is currently using this information to put together a detailed timetable of works.
The first pilot decent homes project went on site at the beginning of January and is due to be completed at the end of March.
Look out for more information at www.homesforharingey.org (external link).
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