?112.5 million has been awarded to the Sutton Council and Sutton Housing Partnership, who will use the funds to improve the standard of social housing in the borough over the next five years.
The partnership, which manages over 6,000 homes, has been awarded by the public sector watchdog, the Audit Commission, a ?two star? rating this week in their recent inspection of the organisation. This has led the Government to agree to provide ?5 million in April as the first instalment of the ?112.5 million ?Decent Homes? funding to be invested in Sutton by 2015.
Councillor Sean Brennan, the leader of Sutton Council, told the Sutton Guardian how excited he was about the project: ?This is fantastic news for thousands of council tenants. The first instalment of the ?Decent Homes? funding will start in just over two months? time. I would like to thank residents and staff for working together to help us achieve the two star rating from the Audit Commission and look forward to an exciting year ahead for Sutton?s housing.?
The official Audit Commission report contains a number of positives, including accessible services, good quality information, the involvement of residents in improving services and a prompt repairs service.
Andrew Taylor, the chief executive of Sutton Housing Partnership, said: ?We are thrilled to have been awarded these all important two stars and we are extremely proud of what we have all achieved together. I want to thank all the staff at Sutton Housing Partnership and our residents for their support, hard work and dedication.?
