Birmingham decides decent homes strategy

More than two-fifths of the city’s 81,250 council homes fail to satisfy warmth and comfort criteria, according to the investment strategy the council is to follow to achieve the government’s decent homes standard.

The council faces an estimated shortfall of £413m in meeting its own “full improvement standard”, which goes beyond the government’s decency standard and will take an estimated 16 years to deliver.

In the interim, the council has pledged to meet the decent homes standard by 2010 through better management of resources and a five-year demolition programme that will affect 6000 problem properties.

The strategy, approved by councillors on Monday, confirmed future investment decisions will be made at estate level, in line with recommendations made last year by the Independent Commission into Birmingham’s council housing, chaired by professor Anne Power of the London School of Economics.

Councillor Sandra Jenkinson, Birmingham’s cabinet member for housing, said: “The city council has taken account of the government’s decent homes standard which now means the council needs to focus on bringing properties up to a reasonable state of repair.”

Birmingham council is expected to launch a housing strategy for black and minority ethnic groups next week.

Jas Bains, director of Birmingham-based Ashram Housing Association, welcomed the document, which will outline an action plan for meeting BME housing needs. The BME strategy is likely to influence future Housing Corporation investment decisions.