Housing awards hat-trick on the cards for North Lanarkshire Council

Cllr Love housing developmentNorth Lanarkshire Council is up for three accolades at the UK Housing Awards 2016.

The awards, organised by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and Inside Housing magazine, has seen North Lanarkshire Council shortlisted for:

  • Outstanding Local Authority of the year for its empty homes purchase scheme;
  • Outstanding Campaign of the year for the Big Switch energy initiative; and
  • Outstanding Approach to Repairs and Maintenance for dynamic scheduling.
  • Sam Love, convener of housing, said: “We are committed to providing the best possible housing service to our local people and we are very proud to have been nominated for these national awards.

    “The council invests heavily in our housing stock, including building hundreds of new council homes, replacing kitchens, bathrooms, windows and other many other areas which improve people’s homes.

    “We have also launched a number of innovative schemes including the Big Switch to help people save money on their energy bills through collective purchasing. More than 2,000 people have taken part so far, with an average saving over £300 per household.

    “Our empty homes purchase scheme brings properties that can cause blight to neighbourhoods back into use and helps increase council housing in areas of need. We have purchased over 40 homes through the scheme which not only provides much needed affordable housing, but also helps address problems caused by long term empty homes within local communities.

    “And our repairs service continues to improve with a fully integrated mobile scheduling system which improves customer service, reduces repair waiting times and offers flexible appointment times to suit resident’s needs.”

    The awards, which received more than 250 entries from across the UK, recognise outstanding work by housing organisations to improve the lives of people in their communities.

    CIH chief executive Terrie Alafat said: “The UK Housing Awards recognise the great work being done by housing professionals and organisations across the industry, but they also push us all to do better as a sector. We hope the achievements of our finalists will inspire others as they aim to provide the best possible services for residents and communities.”

    Emma Maier, editor of Inside Housing, added: “The quality of the entries rose again this year so even to get this far is an amazing achievement. In the face of some really stiff competition, North Lanarkshire Council has shown it is performing at the highest level.”

    The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in London on 26 April.

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