Caithness gets over £2 million of capital investment to improve housing stock
Caithness is to receive more than £2 million to improve its existing stock of council housing.
The money is part of a one-year capital investment plan of £15.667 million agreed by Highland Council’s housing and property committee to be spread across the region.
The programme focuses on priority projects identified by local maintenance teams through previous inspections, along with analysis of the existing local housing stock, and includes measures to improve heating and energy efficiency.
Each one-year area programme will be presented to local councillors for their final approval in the coming months.
The distribution of funding to each area follows criteria set by the local authority based on the amount and condition of existing housing stock and includes money ring-fenced for aids and adaptations.
The Caithness allocation is £2.253 million, with the other areas as follows: Sutherland £1.052m; Easter Ross £2.216m; Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh £551,000; Black Isle, Dingwall and Seaforth £1.380m; Skye and Raasay £548,000; Inverness £4.786m; Nairnshire £789,000; Lochaber £1.490m; Badenoch and Strathspey £602,000.
Caithness civic leader Willie Mackay said: "I'm delighted to see this figure of £2.253m being released for Caithness. It is so important now that we will have local member involvement along with the maintenance teams in continuing to focus on outstanding projects to the benefit of our tenants."
The committee chairman, Councillor Ben Thompson, said: “It had been our intention to bring forward proposals for a new five-year capital plan to take us up to 2026 but, in view of the Covid-19 emergency, the one-year plan means members and housing staff can have more time to work on a longer-term plan to run from 2022-2027.
“By deferring the five-year plan we are giving ourselves extra time to analyse the impact of Covid-19 and for more member discussions to take place around the details.
“In the meantime, I am sure local members will want to put forward priority projects and make sure their allocation of money is invested where it is needed most.”
All capital housing projects scheduled for this year were suspended in March.
Councillor Thompson said: “As soon as we got the go-ahead from the Scottish Government, our current schedule of works for this year restarted in July but there is slippage to the programme due to the pandemic. We are currently focusing on external works and completing outstanding projects rather than initiating new works.
"Our housing team are working closely with contractors to ensure all heightened health and safety measures are in place to protect our staff, contractors and tenants. All tenants affected by this delay have been notified and I thank everyone for their understanding.”