£13million to improve Sedgemoor homes (From Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News)

£13million to improve Sedgemoor homes

1:00pm Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News

THOUSANDS of people will see their homes improved thanks to £13million from the Government.

The money, which Homes in Sedgemoor received last Friday, is the final instalment from the Homes and Communities Agency's Decent Homes scheme.
It will be used to improve council homes over the next two years.

A Sedgemoor District Council spokesman said: “Tenants will get warmer homes with modern facilities that will be easier and cheaper to run.”

The council says the improvements will create jobs and apprenticeships.

Dawn Lang, Homes in Sedgemoor chief executive: “This is absolutely brilliant news for our tenants who will now all get the much needed improvements to their homes.”

The award marks the latest chapter in a long battle by authorities in Sedgemoor to secure cash for council house improvements.

Homes in Sedgemoor was originally told it would have to achieve a two-score score in an inspection scheme to receive the money, but in 2010 the Coalition Government scrapped that target and said funding would instead be handed out to the local authorities with the biggest backlog of work.

Kerry Rickards, chief executive of the district council, said: “The management of Sedgemoor's council housing by Homes in Sedgemoor has really come a long way in the past few years.

“This is clearly recognised by Government and their faith in HiS has been evidenced by this further £13 million funding into the Decent Homes programme.”

Council tenants can find out more about the improvements by clicking here .