£10m upgrades to council housing

The county council’s housing improvement programme has seen almost £10million spent on 1,879 homes across the Alnwick area and south east Northumberland over the last year.

Council houses have been refurbished and modernised with new kitchens, bathrooms, and energy efficient heating systems, insulation and the replacement of roofs, doors and windows and electrical rewires.

The council has also committed to spend a further £10million a year for the coming six years on the property improvement programme.

Coun John Riddle, cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: “Council housing is a key priority of this council.

“This significant investment will ensure we can provide our tenants with homes that are high-quality, secure and affordable.

“The heating and insulation improvements also mean that council tenants will benefit from warmer, more energy efficient homes with lower energy bills.”

Tenants whose homes are to be included in this year’s upcoming work programme were recently invited to attend exhibitions in Amble and Blyth where they could choose new bathroom suites, kitchen units and tiles.

The council owns and manages more than 8,544 properties across the county.