Around £117 million is to be invested into council homes across Chesterfield over the next four years – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s continued commitment to creating affordable, decent homes for people across the borough.
The Housing Capital Programme sets out the investment priorities for next financial year, which will see the council spend £30.1 million on improving and increasing the housing supply in the borough.
The capital programme also details the council’s longer-term plans through to March 2028 to ensure that the council can continue to meet the decent homes standard, further improve the energy efficiency of its houses, and provide quality, affordable and accessible homes for local people.
Modernisation and refurbishment of the council’s existing homes remains a key priority in the council’s programme and will see the continuation of kitchen improvements and roofing upgrades, whilst there will also be improvements to footpaths, fencing and gates to help improve the look and feel of neighbourhoods.
In addition to refurbishing the existing housing stock, the council is committed to building almost 100 new council properties by 2028 to increase the number of affordable homes available in the area. Work to create 22 new build properties at Middlecroft and Westwood Avenue is now well underway, and additional sites have also been identified for new build projects.
In line with the council’s climate strategy, the work set out in the capital programme will also make a significant step towards improving the energy efficiency of its homes, for example replacing boilers and windows with more efficient options - allowing Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough. This will not only help to reduce carbon emissions but will also help to reduce energy bills for tenants.
A further investment will also be made to help tackle damp and mould in homes. A recent survey has shown that the number of homes experiencing issues with damp and mould has almost halved but the council remains committed to tackling these issues.
Councillor Jean Innes, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim, as always, is to enhance Chesterfield’s housing offer and ensure we can provide affordable high-quality homes. A stock condition survey carried out in 2022 identified that the quality of our council homes has improved from the previous survey that took place in 2017. This shows our investments have been made in the right areas, but we know there is more that we can do to ensure we can achieve and maintain a 100% decent homes standard.
“Our newly approved capital programme set out our strong commitment to achieving this and improving our homes to ensure they meet the needs of the people of Chesterfield, as well actively contributing to the climate change agenda by ensuring all homes are energy efficient.
“Like local authorities across the country, the council is facing unprecedented financial challenges but our priority is to make sure under-pressure budgets are spent on the essential services that local people rely on, including the provision of quality and affordable homes for the people of Chesterfield.”
