Cabinet asked to approve £250m investment in council’s housing stock

A new housing asset management strategy sets out how the Council plans to invest between £38m and £66m in each of the next five financial years to carry out maintenance and major refurbishment work in its properties.

The Council is the largest social housing provider in the Borough, owning and managing 10,383 homes, including 31 sheltered housing schemes and four supported housing schemes.

Although some of these homes date back to the mid-19th Century and continue to meet tenants’ needs, just under half of the Council’s housing stock was built using non-traditional construction methods. These homes were built following a period of growth in Swindon during the post-war period and present several technical challenges.

The strategy states that: “Due to a combination of an ageing portfolio and a lack of proactive investment in core areas such as roofs, windows and kitchens, the Council has experienced a continual rise in the level of reactive maintenance over the last five years, where core components have now reached (and exceeded) the end of their lifespan and are at risk of failing to comply with the Decent Homes Standard.”

This includes heritage properties owned by the Council in Swindon’s Railway Village and six high-rise blocks. These properties require dedicated investment plans to ensure they remain fit for purpose and meet the needs of tenants. During 2025-26, separate strategies for delivering this programme of repair and maintenance work as soon as practically possible will be produced.

More generally, a prioritised list of council homes most in need of investment will benefit from an annual programme of improvement work, including refreshing bathrooms, central heating systems, kitchens, roofs, windows, doors and other important maintenance work.

The strategy states this work will ensure that “current and future tenants and residents benefit from homes that are healthy, safe and secure”.

Last December, the Council announced that it had self-referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing which is currently undertaking an inspection of its housing services. The asset management strategy will form a key part of the Council’s housing improvement plan, which is being overseen by a new Housing Improvement Board that includes tenant and cross-party councillor representation.

To fund this investment, the Council plans to borrow up to an additional £152m between 2025 and 2030. Precise levels of borrowing will be determined based on rental income earned, inflation and as detailed assessments of the Council’s housing stock are carried out.

The remainder of the funding required for this investment will be met through the Housing Revenue Account, which is the budget utilised for managing council-owned properties. The HRA is a ring-fenced budget that the Council holds especially for the rent from council tenants. The rent money collected by the council can only be spent on the management and maintenance of tenants' homes.

Councillor Janine Howarth, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Every tenant has a right to a decent and safe home, but as this first ever Council asset management strategy calls out, for too long there has been a lack of proactive investment in the maintenance and improvement of council-owned homes.

“Our tenants deserve better and we are determined to begin to put that right. This asset management strategy makes clear that some of our properties are not in an acceptable condition and sets out how we’re looking to address this over the next five years.

“We have a long-term plan to prioritise known faults and issues in some of our homes in both the historic Railway Village as well as our six high-rise blocks which have suffered from historical underinvestment over the years. 

“It commits the Council to investing £250m in our social housing over the next five years, supporting the delivery of our housing improvement plan. This is a 78 per cent increase in planned investment compared to the previous five years.”

The Council will use data gathered from condition surveys of its properties as well as through a consultation with tenants to plan its programme of maintenance, refurbishment and improvement works. During this period, tenants should continue to request housing repairs through the Council’s website. 

Tenants who require an emergency repair, such as to dangerous flooring or stairs, should visit the emergency housing repair page on the Council website.