Housing Planned Maintenance – COVID-19 Update

In line with the Scottish Government’s guidance on the phased easing of lockdown restrictions, our contractors will soon start carrying out some maintenance Council housing.

These works will include the following;

• Emergency works
• Essential planned maintenance work including planning and site-preparation, which are allowed during the first stage.  Initially, this will include some external survey works by contractors, and tenants will be notified in advance of these starting in each area.

As we have done throughout the lockdown period, we will continue to carry out annual servicing of gas heating systems as we are required to do by law.

We have been working closely with our contractors to ensure a measured approach is taken to restarting works, which will be reviewed and updated regularly as the guidance from Scottish Government develops. Please check the Housing Blog and our website for further updates.

NHS advice can be found on the NHS Coronavirus COVID 19 website –– the main symptoms of the coronavirus include; 

• A new, continuous, dry cough
• A high temperature
• Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

We appreciate your co-operation at this time and hope you find this information useful, but if you have any queries about this post, please do not hesitate to contact us by email to HousingTechnical@angus.gov.uk

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Housing Planned Maintenance – COVID-19 Update

The following contract work in our tenanted properties has been temporarily put on hold and our contractors are contacting tenants affected by this. Where work has already started, it will be completed as soon as possible and when it is safe to do so: 

• Bathroom upgrades
• Kitchen upgrades
• Energy Efficiency works – open sites are being tidied up and properties where cavity insulation has been extracted will be made wind and water-tight.
• Electrical Testing
• Electric Heating Upgrades
• Window Upgrades
• External Repaints

 

We will be continuing to carry out annual servicing of gas heating systems as we are required to do so by law.

If you have had improvement works cancelled due to the lockdown, please be assured that we will be in touch to reschedule as soon as it is safe to do so. Please keep an eye on the Housing Blog and our website for further updates on our other contracts listed above.

NHS advice can be found on the NHS Coronavirus Covid 19 website –– the main symptoms of the coronavirus include; 

• A new, continuous, dry cough

• A high temperature

We appreciate your co-operation at this time and hope you find this information useful, but if you have any queries about this post, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01307 492094 or by email to HousingTechnical@angus.gov.uk

Kitchen Replacement Programme

We are continuing our Kitchen Replacement Programme across our housing stock and working closely with our main contractor MPS Housing Ltd.

MPS Housing Ltd are holding drop-in sessions to give you an opportunity to meet the team, see the products and ask any questions you may have.

Details of this event are below –

Where? – Montrose Road Centre, Montrose Road, Forfar

When? – Wednesday 2 October 2019

Times – 12.45pm to 2.45pm and 4pm to 6pm

 

 

Even if you have not been notified of a kitchen replacement in your area please feel free to come along and see what will be available to you in the future.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Calling residents of Nursery Park and River Street in Brechin

Montrose and Brechin Communities Team is holding a residents’ meeting for the Nursery Park/River Street area in Brechin to discuss proposed environmental improvements to the area – see flyer below.

Come and join the meeting and tell us what you think of proposed improvements to the area.

Plans are available to view at Brechin Library, St Ninians Place, Brechin and at the Bridgend Bar, River Street, Brechin.

 

 

 

Looking to the Future – Our Plans for Council Housing 2018 – 2022

Rent increases help us protect housing services, build new homes and to continue to invest in our homes so they meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and will meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing by 2020.

Last year, our Tenants Steering Group agreed that rents should be increased to ensure we can continue to invest in its existing homes as well as build new affordable housing in Angus. Three rent increase options were proposed by the Tenants Steering Group.

In July 2017, we carried out a rent consultation for our residential tenants. The majority of tenants (58%) who responded to the consultation supported an increase of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +1% which equates to a 4% based on September 2017 CPI of 3%. The rent increase will increase the average rent to £66 per week and mean that our rents will continue to remain in the lowest 25% of all Scottish local authorities.

The results of this survey were presented at the communities committee at the beginning of February 2018 and the final decision on a rent increase for 2018/19 was made. You can read the papers here. The committee approved an average rent increase of 4% for Council houses, garages and travellers’ pitches. Associated service charges for sheltered, retirement and dispersed accommodation will continue to be based on actual costs in the previous financial year. Tenants will receive their new rent cards for 2018/19 in the next few weeks. Please let us know by calling ACCESSLine on 03452 777 778 if you haven’t received your new rent card by 5 March 2018.

The committee also agreed the capital programme for the financial years 2019/20 to 2021/22. The five year programme will provide £100m investment in the homes and communities of Angus by increasing the Council’s investment in building new homes and improving existing stock. We will:

• Upgrade 2,250 heating systems, around 450 per year.
• Install energy efficiency measures in around 3,000 homes including external insulation.
• Accelerate the bathroom programme to deliver around 7,000 new bathrooms over the next eight years. This will see a new bathroom in every Council home by 2026.
• Continue our ongoing adaptations programme, supported by funding of up to £520,000 per annum. This supports people to live independently in their own homes
• Deliver around 80 new build units per year over the next four years, including at least 20% for particular needs. Projects proposed include large scale regeneration at Timmergreens, Arbroath, redevelopment of land at Invertay House, Monifieth and the use of surplus land at Coronation Way, Montrose.
• Continue to provide sprinkler systems in new build homes.

The construction activity in the plan will have a significant impact on the local economy and studies have shown that every £1 spent can generate £2.84 in indirect and direct economic stimulus. It is estimated that the agreed capital programme could:

• Generate economic benefit of £284m over the next five years
• Create and sustain around 1800 jobs
• Support at least 12 apprenticeship places

We are grateful to our tenants and staff for working with us to develop this ambitious programme which will have a significant positive effect on our communities.