Perth & Kinross Council to set housing targets for year ahead

The performance and progress of Perth & Kinross Council’s housing and environment service is to be presented to councillors this week in a report which also sets out some objectives for the next 12 months.

The local authority’s Business Management Improvement Plan (BMIP) will be presented to its housing and communities committee tomorrow.

Member of the committee will hear of some notable success, including how the service worked to reduce the number of overcrowded households in Perth and Kinross from 127 in 2015/16 to 115 in 2016/17.

Satisfaction levels amongst tenants about their housing services shot up to 95% in 2017/18, compared to 85% 2016/17, while the average length of time to complete a non-emergency housing repair reduced from over 13 hours in 2015/16 to less than 9 hours in 2017/18.

Over the next year the council will attempt to continue to lower the number of overcrowded households and increase the number of available social housing units.

It has also pledged to support tenants to maximise their incomes and reduce household costs, making sure all eligible home owners have access to a home insulation scheme that will help improve the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce household bills.

Continuing to enhance its approach to delivering homeless services through the preparation of a Rapid Rehousing Transition and Homeless Improvement Plan is on the agenda as is enabling communities to decide and influence enhancements to their local environment through the Estate Based Initiatives scheme.

The report also outlines how the council will help communities find solutions to local problems and build community capacity, through the implementation of its Local Housing Strategy (LHS) and Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP), to ensure the supply of affordable housing meets housing need.

Convener of the housing & communities committee, Councillor Peter Barrett, said: “The BMIP highlights the important contribution the Housing and Environment service makes towards achieving the council’s overall objectives.

“By setting realistic targets for the upcoming future, the council can continue to improve on the valuable services it provides to the Perth & Kinross community. The report highlights clearly the work we are doing, and what we will continue to do, to support both council tenants and residents of the area.”

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