Council granted more freedom to invest in housing

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S Executive Board Member for Housing has welcomed news which could potentially pave the way for the building of more council homes in the county.

Cllr Devichand said yesterday’s announcement from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Welsh Government that local councils in Wales can exit the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy (HRAS) system, was “brilliant news”.

She, along with council Leader Cllr Kevin Madge, has been lobbying Welsh and UK governments for changes to the HRAS for some time.

The move grants the council more freedom to invest in its housing stock and the financial flexibility to meet the demand for affordable homes and social housing.

Cllr Devichand said: “We have lobbied at all levels of government for these changes, which will give us more financial flexibility, and will allow us to invest even more in to our housing stock.

“We have made huge strides with the Carmarthenshire Homes Standard where we have invested £203million in bringing our homes up to quality standards, and this latest announcement could see us potentially building new and much-needed council homes in Carmarthenshire.

“This is good news for our tenants as income generated through their rent will now be ploughed back in to homes in Carmarthenshire instead of being sent to the UK Treasury.”

And Council Leader Cllr Kevin Madge, said: “This is a cause very dear to my heart, as my mother still lives in a council house. I am delighted that we can now move forward and potentially do what our forefathers did before us in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.”

Head of Housing, Robin Staines, added: “This announcement means we can manage and develop our business to reflect local needs and priorities.

“We will be making every effort to use any resources this releases to potentially build new homes right across the county.”

Carmarthenshire County Council is one of only 11 Welsh local authorities to retain its stock of 9,200 homes.