A joint group of councillors and council tenants will oversee housing upgrades costing £20 million.
Earlier this year tenants voted for their homes to remain under the control of Caerphilly County Borough Council rather than see them transferred to a new social housing landlord.
The council has since established a new Housing Task Group consisting of tenants and councillors to ensure it meets its promise of upgrading homes to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2019/20. This year, £20m is being spent by the council. Overall the council will spend £173m getting homes to the WHQS.
The group will meet every six weeks to receive reports and updates on progress. There are places on the group for seven tenants from across the County Borough.
Information sessions are being held to explain more about the purpose of the Housing Task Group, how it fits into the council’s structures, the roles of the tenant representatives and the selection process to choose them.
To find out more residents can attend informal tea and chat events or contact the Tenant and Community InvolvementTeam on 01495 235025, 01495 235011 or 01495 235387.
The first event will be held on Wednesday August 1 at the Twyn Community Centre, Caerphilly between 10am and 1pm.
Subsequent events will take place on:
- Thursday August 2 at Risca Library,Risca 4pm to 7pm
- Friday August 3 at White Rose Information Centre, New Tredegar 10am to 12noon.
- Monday August 6 at Pontllanfraith House, Blackwood 4pm to 7pm
- Tuesday August 7 at Penallta House, Ystrad Mynach 4.30pm to 7pm
Caerphilly Council should consider that the housing stock they ` manage` is on behalf of ALL citizens of the borough, and not just current tenants.
The rest of the boroughs ratepayers and members of their families are all potential future tenants, and as such, their views and contributions have to be heard, currently I understand there are no plans for this to be the case.
Current tenants have to be applauded for their decision recently, in the council ballot, in rejecting the proposition to gift all council houses to a `quango` established by the last Council for the purpose of taking over the management of Council housing properties.
The fact that those we elect as Councillors are to still be answerable to the citizens for social housing is the right position. The new group, this article highlights, will now oversee the improvement of the housing stock, thus retaining the rights of all citizens of the borough to have their say through the various processes of the working of local gevernment