Cannock councillor pledges improvements to local authority houses
A senior Cannock Chase councillor has pledged to make improvements to local authority houses after discovering many were not up to scratch.
Councillor Mel Cecil (pictured), who has been in her cabinet role for only a few weeks, said she is determined to address a legacy of issues in the council housing stock.
It is the first Annual Report to come before the new administration at Cannock Chase District Council and reveals around 20 per cent of council properties are not up to 'decent homes standard'.
But the council has reassured tenants that their homes are safe and most of the improvement work involves replacements to windows and doors – with any significant hazards that could have been a health and safety risk addressed immediately.
Councillor Cecil, the new portfolio holder responsible for Housing and Corporate Assets, made her comments at a cabinet meeting.
She said: "I've lived in my council house for more than ten years and I am passionate about making sure every council tenant has a decent home.
"I have been in this role less than a month. I've spent days scrutinising this report and some of it has shocked me. I want to be open and honest about where improvements are needed and not just to identify problems – we will have a clear timetable to resolve them.
“This is definitely not something that has happened overnight – it has been the result of decisions made over many years - but I am determined to put things right, being accountable and transparent.”
“I know the struggles that tenants face – I have faced those challenges in the past. After many years we have a clearer picture of the condition of our stock and we are making plans to move things forward.”
The local authority is responsible for around 5,000 council houses. Recently they celebrated the completion of 29 new affordable properties at the former Aelfgar School site in Rugeley, which have all been built to ‘Future Homes Standard’ including air source heat pumps and solar panels.
