Agenda item

Housing Capital Programme 2025-29

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

Approves the four-year outline Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme 2025-26 to 2028-29 with total planned investment of £291m broken down into the following areas of investment:

· Improving homes and estates £154.1m

· Aids and adaptations to Council homes £13.2m

· Housing Delivery Programme £121m

· IT and digital transformation £2.6m

Approve the detailed 2025-26 Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme with total planned investment of £73m broken down into the following areas of investment:

· Improving homes and estates £33.1m

· Aids and adaptions to Council homes £3.3m

· Housing Delivery Programme £36m

· IT and digital transformation £0.5m

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report which sought approval for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme for 2025-29. Key areas of focus included improving council homes, providing aids and adaptations, and acquiring and building new council homes. The report summarised the investment that had taken place or was planned to take place during 2024-25, provided an outline four-year Capital Programme (2025-26 to 2028-29) and a detailed programme for 2025-26.

The total planned HRA capital investment in the years 2025-26 to 2028-29 was £290.906m. This sum had been modelled and included with the 2025-26 HRA Business Plan that was approved by Council on the 15 January 2025. The table at Appendix 1 set out the proposed programme, which was split into four areas:

(a) Improving council homes and estates

(b) Providing aids and adaptations

(d) Investing in IT to support digital transformation

Appendix 3 to the report set out the Improving Homes and Estates budget detail; Appendix 4 set out the Public Aids and Adaptation budget detail and Appendix 5 set out the Housing Delivery Programme budget detail.

The Council was working with an external contractor to undertake a programme of stock condition surveys to 100% of properties over the next three years. A pilot programme of surveys commenced in early February with the full project due to ramp up from April. The outcome of the stock condition survey would inform the evolution of the Capital Programme and in particular the investment required to ensure the Council’s housing stock met the Decent Homes Standard.

The detailed 2025-26 programme was attached to the report at Appendix 2. The programme included continued delivery of phased external projects (e.g.

roofing schemes) across the borough including, in Catcliffe, East Herringthorpe, Thurcroft, Richmond Park, West Melton and Maltby. The programme also included a major rewiring project at Wharncliffe flats, the renewal of approximately 1,700 boilers and 200 kitchens or bathrooms. The programme also included £2m for larger planned repairs for example repairs

to paths, paving and boundary walls, plastering and pointing. There was also

£2m for ventilation works, which formed part of a wider investment package

to help prevent and mitigate damp and mould within properties. The programme also included £6.5m for major refurbishments to properties that became empty and were due to be re-let to a new tenant.

In addition to this there was £1.8million which would see works being undertaken to improve the thermal efficiency of assets which would result in more properties reaching EPC Band C. This could be increased as Rotherham Council had received an £8.8 million grant under the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3.

The proposed Capital Programme included £121m to support the Council’s

Housing Delivery Programme. This included £88m to deliver the existing

pipeline of projects to achieve 1,000 new council homes by summer 2027,

alongside a further £33m to ensure the continuation of the Housing Delivery

Programme beyond 2027. This programme of activity would continue to deliver much needed affordable housing within the borough while increasing rental income to the HRA and helping to reduce the impact of Right to Buy on

council housing stock levels. The programme assumed delivery of approximately 440 units across the 4 workstreams:

· New build

· S106 Acquisitions

· Market Acquisitions

· Small Sites Homebuilding Initiative

Resolved: