THE COUNCIL’S housing service has been given permission to appoint a contractor to maintain, repair, and improve its empty properties prior to being re-let to new tenants.
Introducing the motion to the executive at its meeting held on Thursday, March 31, deputy leader Cllr John Kaiser, said that houses became vacant for a number of reasons, such as a resident moving to a smaller or larger home, or moving into a care setting.
“We have a policy of visiting every home before we put any new tenants into them,” Cllr Kaiser said. “In a lot of cases, we do quite substantial refurbishment because, over the years, especially if you’ve had somebody elderly living in the home, they’re not always up to keeping the house.
“If we give a new home to somebody, I think nobody would argue it’s not a bad idea to give them a fresh start.”
He said the executive was voting on the proposal because the contract was worth more than £5 million.
Cllr Graham Howe wanted to know how many homes were involved, to which Cllr Kaiser said between 2,700 and 2,800, with around 10% Each year “dipping in and out” of being empty, and there was currently a great demand for social housing.
“If we’re giving someone a new home, it’s a new start in life, so we should do everything we can to make that as fresh as possible,” he added.
