Council More Than Doubles Building Plans As Result Of New Financial Freedoms

Sheffield City Council has doubled the number of council homes it is planning to build, following the government’s decision to remove the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) borrowing cap on local authorities. The council announced it is planning to up its delivery of homes by more than 100% over the next seven years from 1,500 homes to 3,200 homes. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/large-city-council-more-than-doubles-building-plans-as-result-of-new-financial-freedoms-62327

Council Unveils Ambitious Plans for Housing

Sheffield City Council has set out ambitious plans and priorities for council housing over the next five years. Proposals include the building or buying of 1,000 new/replacement Council homes by 2019/20 to increase the choice and availability of high quality affordable homes for people in the city, support the local economy and bring funding into Sheffield. Next year we will also be investing around £65m on council housing improvements with a focus on works such as replacement heating systems, insulation, new roofs and plans for the installation of solar panels which make homes more energy efficient, reduce bills and help people stay warm in their own homes. Read more on the Sheffield City Council website.

Council to Help Tenants Wrongly Hit By Bedroom Tax

Sheffield City Council has pledged to support hundreds of social housing tenants wrongly charged with the controversial bedroom tax. The council says it has already identified a number of tenants who shouldn't have paid it. It is believed that around 500 tenants in the city have been wrongly charged. If accurate, the number of victims in Sheffield alone represents over one tenth of all those wrongly charged in the UK, based on the DWP estimate of "less than 5,000". The council is now seeking recompense for wrongly charged tenants and is advising those who think they may have been affected to contact their landlord. Read more on 24dash.