Rotherham Council leaders have unveiled a plaque to commemorate the first ever council home in the borough to celebrate 100 years of council housing.
The plaque has been installed on number one First Avenue in East Dene, which still remains the property of the council 100 years since it was built. It was the first of a swathe of new homes to be built by the then local authority when council housing began a century ago.
This comes the same week the council unveils plans for a shared ownership scheme, which aims to make home ownership affordable.
The plaque was unveiled today by Cllr Dominic Beck, Cabinet Member for Housing at Rotherham Council who has also put forward a motion to Council to reaffirm commitment to the provision of social housing for the next century. Cllr Dominic Beck said: “This plaque celebrates a century of council housing and also our on-going commitment to building council housing for generations to come.
“Council housing is just as important now as it was 100 years ago, if not more so, and we know we have over 6,500 people on our waiting list. We are working hard to provide more options for people and to continue to maintain quality housing for our existing and new tenants.”
Dominic added as part of the Council’s ambitious housing growth programme, the Council is committed to increasing the range of housing options available to people wanting to live in and across the borough.
The first tranche of the Council’s shared ownership scheme, called ‘The Bellows’, is also set to launch this week at Bellows Road, Rawmarsh.
Both events celebrate the past and the future as the authority embarks on the biggest council housing delivery programme for more than a generation under its Rother Living brand, inspired by Rotherham’s rich history of industry. The programme will deliver 253 homes for council rent or shared ownership — of which 36 are already built — and at least 160 planned for the next three years.
Header image above: Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Dominic Beck unveiling the commemorative plaque on the borough’s first ever council house in order to celebrate 100 years of council housing.
