Town to get new council houses and upgrades

More than £290m could be invested to improve council properties and deliver new homes in the next four years in Rotherham.

Rotherham Council's Cabinet will be asked to approve the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme at a meeting on 17 March.

A total of £154m would be invested in improving homes and estates, which includes improvements to the energy efficiency of homes, and £13.2m would be used on installing aids and adaptations, the local authority said.

Sarah Allen, Cabinet member for housing, said the council was committed to making the investments to "enhance the quality of life for our tenants".

In 2025/26, the council said it planned to carry out external works to homes, including re-roofing, in Catcliffe, East Herringthorpe, Thurcroft, Richmond Park, West Melton and Maltby.

A major rewiring project is due to be carried out at Wharncliffe flats in the town centre, while 1,700 boilers are due to be replaced across the borough alongside 200 new kitchens and bathrooms.

A total of 900 major adaptations such as level access showers are to be completed in 2025/26 as well as 850 minor adaptations such as handrails and door widening to enable tenants to remain in their homes for longer.

The council said it would also invest £88m to meet its target of delivering 1,000 new homes by summer 2027, with a further £33m to ensure more homes are delivered beyond 2027.

In 2025/26, 27 new homes on council-owned land will be completed across sites in West Melton, Swinton and Canklow and plans are under way to acquire over 100 homes either from private sector housebuilders or direct from the open market.

A further £2.6m is planned to be invested over the next four years in the council's IT and digital infrastructure to improve efficiency and customer experience for tenants.

Ms Allen said the improvements would benefit current as well as future tenants.

She added: "It is vital that the funding is available to the council to maintain safe, good quality and well-managed homes while investing in new affordable housing.

"The council is committed to making these significant investments to enhance the quality of life for our tenants."

It comes after several residents housed in council flats in Rotherham complained of persistent problems with mould, damp and vermin.

In 2023, the council spent more than £1.4m on repairing damp, mould and disrepair in its social housing properties.

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