Proposed housing budget to focus on keeping residents safe and warm

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Portsmouth City Council is looking to invest nearly £60 million on its council housing stock with a focus on safety and improvement works.

Portsmouth City Council is looking to invest nearly £60 million on its council housing stock with a focus on safety and improvement works.

The proposal is due to be discussed Thursday, March 23rd, in a decision meeting for the Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness. The budget proposes that £28.6 million is allocated to help repair council housing across Portsmouth and Havant.

A further £30.4 million is proposed to be invested in maintaining council housing stock with investment linked to legal requirements, such as the Environment Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022.

Works completed by the council over the last year have helped improve the condition of 59 blocks of flats and a total of 1709 individual homes.

The proposed works for 2023 to 2024 will focus on general building repairs and servicing, as well as fire safety works and more efficient heating systems. It will also aim to update kitchens and bathrooms and make housing accessible for people with disabilities. 

Cllr Darren Sanders, Cabinet Member for Housing and Preventing Homelessness said: "We're committed to providing good quality, well-maintained housing for people in our council homes and we work hard with our tenants to support them, provide them with safe, energy efficient, healthy homes, and listen to their views. I look forward to discussing this budget at the meeting."