We are well underway with our £370m programme of investment to make your homes modern, safe and warm. The valuable insight we have gained from listening to your concerns, needs, and aspirations for your homes and neighbourhoods, is shaping our investment.
So far, we’ve replaced lifts on several estates and properties across the borough, redecorated communal areas, installed new video door entry systems and, as part of our commitment to achieving the highest standards of fire safety for our residents, installed communal smoke and heat alarms in over 200 blocks and upgraded individual heat and smoke alarms in over 500 properties.
I have no doubt residents will reap the benefits of smarter, cleaner buildings and more modern security measures.
As well as listening to our tenants and leaseholders about what they want to see as part of this programme, we’ve also been influenced by the wider Council’s ambitious Green Plan, which details our commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030. How Housing Management is going to help the Council achieve that goal is detailed in our Sustainability and Fuel Poverty Strategy. Residents can help play their part by recycling responsibly, taking fewer car journeys and, most importantly, sharing your ideas on our proposed plans. Our homes are one of the biggest emitters of carbon and greenhouse gases so it’s important we put our carbon zero ambitions at the heart of our investment programme and make your homes more environmentally-friendly for now and for future generations.
Other highlights of the last year include the good progress which has been made on our new homes programme. A number of our Stage 1 sites are due to complete in December, and we have successfully gained planning consent on Silchester and Barlby Road. If we are to tackle the homelessness issue in the borough, we must build – but do so with the consent of our residents.
This year we have also welcomed 102 new staff to the Council as part of the transition to the new Estate Care communal cleaning service, which aims to provide a dedicated service to directly manage and promptly respond to issues or urgent requests.
Finally, we held a campaign to raise awareness of Tenancy Fraud and held a key amnesty where people illegally renting out their Council home, or no longer living there, were able to hand back the keys to their property with no repercussions. This campaign was part of our efforts to recover properties not being used, or being used illegally, so we can reallocate them to people in genuine need of a home.
Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith
Deputy Leader, Grenfell, Housing and Social Investment