Swansea Council has spent £546 million upgrading its houses and flats - and may need to spend a further £875 million to maintain them and meet new standards. The investment in its stock of 13,600 council homes to date works out as an average of £40,000 per property, although running the project incurs various associated costs.
For tenants it has resulted in things like new roofs, insulation, boilers, wiring, smoke alarms, kitchens and bathrooms. A council scrutiny panel heard that the project to meet Welsh housing standards had created jobs and apprenticeships, and been funded by tenants' rents and Welsh Government grants - not council tax.
But there was a warning that a new Wales-wide set of standards, including largely eliminating the carbon emissions buildings emit - through gas boilers for example - would be a massive challenge. Housing officers have estimated that meeting the proposed new housing standards, plus maintaining the existing ones, could cost £875 million - equating to £64,000 per property - although that figure could change.
