New deal could unlock £75 million investment in Salford's council homes
28 May 2014 04:02 PM
Council tenants in
Salford could benefit from up to £75 million investment in their
homes.
Council tenants in Salford could
benefit from up to £75 million investment in their homes, under the terms
of a new deal announced today (28 May 2014).
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins
gave the green light for Salford City Council to transfer ownership of its
social homes to Salix Homes - by writing off the council’s £65.1
million historic housing debt.
The minister described the deal
as “great news for Salford residents”.
Raising Salford homes to a
decent standard
Currently, Salford’s 8,500
social homes are owned by Salford City Council and managed by Salix Homes, a
not-for-profit company.
Under the terms of the deal
reached today, Salford City Council would transfer ownership of the homes to
Salix, while the government would write off its £65.1 million historic
housing debt.
In exchange, Salix Homes has
made a commitment to invest £75 million to ensure that all 8,500
properties will reach the government’s Decent Homes
standard by 2020.
This will
include:
- 4,000 homes getting new kitchens
or bathrooms
- 2,000 homes getting new
windows
- 3,000 homes getting upgraded
heating
The deal will now be put to
consultation, before Salford tenants get a chance to vote later this year. Only
if tenants vote yes will the deal go ahead.
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins
said:
Today’s deal is great news
for Salford’s residents, unlocking £75 million to invest in
bringing their homes up to a high standard.
This investment from Salix will
mean residents in all 8,500 social homes in Salford will benefit from a range
of improvements, whether new kitchens or bathrooms, new windows or better
heating.
So I’m pleased to sign
this deal with the City Council and write off £65 million of their
historic housing debt, so they can put the offer to their tenants and so Salix
can plan ahead for the investment they have committed to
making.
Councillor Gena Merrett,
Assistant Mayor for Housing and Environment at Salford City Council
said:
This announcement is fantastic
news for tenants and for Salford as a whole and shows that the government is
confident in the council’s proposals to transfer its housing stock to
Salix Homes and the extra investment that will bring.
Salix Homes has an excellent
track record in delivering a first-class housing service in Salford. They are
in a strong position to make the necessary investment to the homes and provide
the kind of housing service that the people of Salford
deserve.
Barbara Harper, a tenant and
chairwoman of the Customer Senate, said:
Tenants now have a very exciting
opportunity to guarantee a bright and sustainable future for social housing in
Salford for generations to come. I’d urge all tenants not to waste this
opportunity and make sure they use their vote.