Tower Hamlets Council to spend over £0.5bn upgrading homes

A further £200m will go on building safety works and £60m has been earmarked for major repairs and enhancements.

Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, said it is the most significant investment in council homes in the area’s history and called it a “transformational moment”.

He added: “The programme is about dignity, security and giving every resident a home they can be proud of.

“We are building new homes to meet need and tackle overcrowding, but we also need to improve our existing homes, and this investment ensures we will do both.”

The council is investing £609m in total in its homes over the next decade, with the remaining £89m set to go on mechanical, electrical and lift installations.

It is also changing its procurement strategy, so that it will not use one company to carry out the works but a mixed model of eight providers including four small and medium-sized enterprises.

David Joyce, the council’s corporate director of housing and regeneration, said the new approach gives the council the “flexibility and resistance that is needed to ensure high-quality work across our borough”. 

He added: “Residents will rightly see more reliable communication with better performance and accountability.”

The meeting also saw the council agree its new 10-year housing strategy, which aims to tackle overcrowding and boost levels of affordable housebuilding.

This latest plan for the council’s existing stock comes after Tower Hamlets set out plans at the end of last year to ensure half of homes built in the borough are affordable, and tackle the overcrowding faced by nearly 12,800 families on its housing register.