Caerphilly County Borough Council has confirmed that 99.02% of its total housing stock is now compliant with the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS).
The WHQS is a set of standards introduced by Welsh Government that all council and housing association homes must meet. To meet the standard, homes must be in a good state of repair, safe and secure, adequately heated, fuel efficient and well insulated, contain up to date kitchens and bathrooms, well managed, located in attractive and safe environments, and be suitable for the specific needs of the household.
During the last financial year, the Council invested £18.6m into improvements to tenants’ homes, bringing its total WHQS programme to date to £261m. In addition, a further £1.8m was invested into the acquisition of homes formerly sold through the Right to Buy and the commencement of the Council’s first new home building programme in 18 years.
Cllr Lisa Phipps, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, we remain on track to complete our WHQS programme. As this programme is nearing completion, we are also now beginning to embark on our exciting journey to increase our housing stock and help to meet the local demand for affordable housing. As well as purchasing former Council homes, sold previously through the Right to Buy, we are also beginning our own programme of development that will see new high-quality homes built throughout the county borough.”
Caerphilly County Borough Council receives a Major Repairs Allowance from Welsh Government; in 2020/21 it received £7,304,000, which contributed to the WHQS programme.
