Half a billion pounds for council homes in Southwark

As well as delivering the council's commitment to make every home warm, dry and safe, the investment programme will give every resident personalised information about the works that will be carried out to their home.

Half a billion pounds will be spent on the borough's homes over five years - one of the biggest investment programmes in the country.

Aside from what the council has a duty to do as part of its landlord obligations, it receives major repairs funding from the government to carry out works to all 39,000 homes in the borough to bring them up to a 'decent' standard  where needed. Decent Homes is a standard which has to be attained for socially rented homes and the council has been asking what is important to residents.

A year ago in Southwark, tenants and leaseholders complained about the changing dates of the Housing Investment programme and that the current approach to investment has meant some households benefiting from Decent Homes works while other blocks on the same estate were not. To set this straight, the council is publishing a clear programme detailing which estates and properties will have what works and when.

Tenants have said in the past that they want their homes to be insulated, weatherproof and secure, and the council is determined to do just that.

With unprecedented government cuts to the public sector and to housing budgets, there are decisions which must be made in order to direct any money to where it is most needed. Unlike the previous policy, this new approach will see funding allocated in order of need and priority.

Councillor Ian Wingfield, cabinet member for housing, said, "The ultimate priority for housing in this borough is that all homes are warm, dry and safe. We do not have the money to do everything so it makes absolute sense to ask tenants how they feel, and to look at where priorities lie. There's little point in paying for a new kitchen or bathroom when a property has persistent problems with damp, or needs improved fire safety. The shell of the homes needs to be sound before we spend money on improving what is already fit for purpose."

Decent homes consultation

A Decent Homes Working Party has been formed, of tenants and homeowners, to represent the views of residents which will form a consensus alongside the responses from individuals who have responded to the survey. Cabinet member for housing, Ian Wingfield, met with the group to hear their thoughts and feedback on the financial situation in Southwark.

Area forums across the borough have also been asked their opinion on the decent homes standard. Of eight area forums, seven agreed that addressing the most important issues first would be the best value for money.

On Monday 23 May, the Tenants' Council met to consider the results of the consultation. The full results of the decent homes consultation will be published in a cabinet report for 31 May. Following this, recommendations will be put together based on the results and go to the council's cabinet for a final decision in September.

The complete Housing Investment Strategy will be available soon.

The council carried out the decent homes consultation online, via letters sent to every home, and in publications and at forums and face to face.