Housing Revenue Account Business Plan Consultation

Have your say on Council plans to improve housing in Charnwood.

The Government is changing the rules about how local councils pay for their housing services. 

Instead of paying in £4 million a year to the Government, the Council is now required to pay them a lump sum of around £72 million this year. This means the Council needs to get a loan to cover this, 

Under the new rules, the Council is  allowed  to keep all the rent it collects,This gives the council more control over its money, and means that we can increase how much we spend on improving our houses. 

Over the next 5 years we are planning to spend around  £57m on a programme of improvements which will  include works to Precast Reinforced Concrete (PRC) homes and the ongoing Decent Homes programme. 

The proposals are part of a 30-year business plan that the Council is drawing up to meet the challenge of the new housing finance  system., and tenants are being asked to comment on these  proposals   

The survey will ask tenants:

• should the Council borrow an extra £8.5m which is available to invest in the housing stock?
• should the Council use the money to improve the worst properties first?
• what should the Council’s spending priorities be? 

The survey is open until the end of January and the plan will be taken to Cabinet for final approval in February. 

If you would like to know more about the HRA business plan and its development there will be a meeting at 10am on January 25 at  The Hut, Ashby Road, Loughborough where there will be a short presentation followed by the opportunity to ask questions. 

For more information on the HRA Business Plan development please contact Charnwood Borough Council on 01509 634532 or e-mail: housing@charnwood.gov.uk

You can take part in the survey here