How Chris looks out for 42,000 homes

Some homes being refurbished through the Decent Homes scheme had barely been altered since they were built in the early 20th Century.

Now all council houses in the city are receiving new kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems and windows.

More than half of the 42,000 properties still owned by the council and managed by Sheffield Homes have had the work completed.

The situation is similar in several thousand other homes which have been transferred to other housing associations.

Coun Weldon said: “I am really pleased we are being able to deliver the programme and it’s something I am proud of.”

Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for housing is keen to focus on the positive aspects of the scheme, which has not only provided thousands of people with better places to live but also provided a “golden opportunity” to create a significant number of jobs.

In the early days of Decent Homes, The Star frequently published stories about residents who were suffering problems with the standard of work - but Coun Weldon says changes have been made to reduce the number of complaints.

He said: “When you are running such a large-scale project you will hit problems. In Arbourthorne, for example, we had difficulty with the amount of time it was taking for contractors to deal with snagging - minor jobs when finishing off work on properties.

“One contractor also became overstretched when we upped the volume of work.

“We brought in two extra companies so the contractors could cope better and took measures to improve quality control. When work is now completed on a house it has to be signed-off by the tenant, rather than the contractor, to ensure they are happy.

“We are asking tenants to complete satisfaction surveys; contractors also are getting better at picking up snagging jobs and rectifying them speedily.”

Coun Weldon said 200 school leavers or long-term unemployed have gained work through a Construction Jobs Match scheme involving the Decent Homes contractors.

Even when the project finishes in 2010, it is hoped all will be kept on and found other work by the companies.

The new jobs have provided a lifeline for people who would have otherwise found it difficult to gain employment.

Coun Weldon said: “I think it’s fantastic and has helped a lot of people. One young lad I know had been in a Young Offenders’ Institution. He was given employment through Construction Jobs Match and been named Appr-entice Of The Year by his firm."

Improving homes is one of the department's big priorities; the next is making Sheffield's sprawling estates decent places to live.

Anti-social behaviour is a daily problem affecting tenants but Coun Weldon said the authority is trying to improve the situation.

Safer Neighbourhood policing teams and wardens have taken charge of patrolling different areas, so they can get to know local issues better and gain trust of residents.

People can also report problems on the 101 non-emergency number.

Coun Weldon said the council is improving the way it communicates with people who make a complaint to correct past impressions that "nobody does anything" when an issue is reported.

He hopes this will improve public confidence so more residents are willing to come forward and report problems and action can be taken against "neighbours from hell" through anti-social behaviour orders or eviction.

As well as improving existing housing, Coun Weldon's role is set to involve developing new social housing for the future.

He has no influence over private developments, where the council's only control is through the planning process, although he believes there should be development of more family homes as well as high-rise apartments in the city centre.

But changes to the Government's housing policy will allow councils to build properties for the first time in a generation and are something Coun Weldon is keen to take advantage of.

"It gives us a real opportunity," he said.

New homes are mainly being proposed for sites where old properties have been knocked down in recent years, rather than greenfield sites.

And Coun Weldon hopes to finally solve controversy over the city's district heating system.

Tenants and residents served by the facility, where heat comes from the Bernard Road incinerator and a network of boiler houses, are charged a flat fee rather than paying for how much they actually use - and cannot turn the heating off during hot weather.

Price hikes announced earlier this year were deeply unpopular.

Coun Weldon said: "I lived in two properties on the system so I know the issues first-hand. We are going to set up a focus group to look at what mechanisms we can put in to let residents control their use of the system, which will have an impact on their bills."

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