Brighton and Hove housing chiefs bid for £5m help

Council chiefs have applied for £5 million to repair and refurbish houses and flats across Brighton and Hove.

The funds have been made available by the Homes and Communities Agency to councils with significant numbers of homes that do not meet “decent homes” standard.

Brighton and Hove City Council is one of about 50 local authorities pitching in what is likely to be a highly competitive bid for the money.

The council has applied for

• £2.2 million to rewire and replace doors
• £750,000 for heating and cladding work to improve energy efficiency
• £2 million to go towards building new council houses and flats

Councillor Maria Caulfield, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We have made great progress improving the standards of our homes despite a historic funding shortfall.

“The new long-term housing contract with our contractors will see more homes improved while our campaign to change the housing finance rules has been successful and this will mean more rent money is invested into homes.

“We are hopeful that this latest bid for money from central government will provide a fresh injection into our efforts to improve residents’ homes.”

On Monday 13 December the Homes and Communities Agency invited 50 councils to apply for funds.

It invited their bids on the basis that more than 10 per cent of each council’s housing fell below the decent homes standard.

It is estimated that in April 26 per cent of Brighton and Hove City Council’s 12,304 homes will fall short of the decent homes standard.

If the council’s bid is successful, funding will be allocated within weeks.