Nearly £15m is to be spent improving some of the region’s most dilapidated and unhealthy social housing, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announced today (Wednesday January 25).

The money will be used to tackle damp, cold and mouldy homes by ripping out ineffective, high carbon emitting heating systems and replacing them with modern electric ones, installing high quality insulation and repairing leaky roofs, windows and doors.

The WMCA secured the £14.9m from Government this morning and will now work with local councils and other registered housing providers to identify those homes in most need of critical improvements and repairs to bring them up to a decent standard.

Homes that are plagued by hazards such as damp and mould and are a threat to health will be made a priority.

Photo courtesy of the Property Care Association

Work is likely to involve:

• Reduction of mould and damp by fixing leaks and making homes warmer, easier to heat and better ventilated
• Internal and external wall insulation
• Replacing doors and windows where they are old or in poor condition
• Replacing or major repairs to heating systems that are old and ineffective
• Major roofing repairs  

The work, which is expected to be carried out on hundreds of properties over the coming months, will be aimed at bringing poor quality homes up to the Government’s ‘Decent Homes Standard’.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “The announcement of nearly £15m in funding from Government to upgrade our social housing stock is very good news indeed for our region – blighted for far too long with too many sub-standard properties.

“Now that we’ve secured this money, we can put it to good work for the benefit of local people – improving quality of life in a tangible and meaningful way for West Midlands residents in the months and years ahead.”

Cllr Mike Bird, WMCA portfolio holder for housing, property and regeneration, added; “Sub-standard homes are not only a health hazard for those living in them but are also a major contributor to people’s poor quality of life overall.

“So, this money is good news indeed and means we can start making improvements in the quality of social housing in our region. We believe it will make a significant difference for those people living in social housing that falls way short of the standards we should expect in the 21st century.”