South Kesteven District Council agrees £7.81 million to upgrade housing stock

A council has entered into a £7.81m contract to upgrade its housing stock with energy efficiency improvements and low-carbon heating measures.

During a meeting on Tuesday (May 13), South Kesteven District Council's cabinet formally approved the contract with Equans Building Ltd to upgrade an estimated 273 council-owned properties.

The upgrades will include solar PV panels, air source heat pump upgrades, and fabric enhancements to improve the thermal performance of the properties.

Cabinet member for housing Virginia Moran (Ind) said: "This is an extension of considerable work that we have already done on a number of properties."

Council leader Ashley Baxter (Ind) described the project as a "triple whammy", by "improving our council stock, reducing bills for our residents, and improving the environment."

The council submitted a formal bid in November 2024 for a £12m project, funded by a £6m Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund grant and £6m in match funding from the council, to be delivered over three years starting April 2025.

However, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero later revised the grant allocation to a maximum of £4.19 million, with co-funding matching this amount. The total project budget is now expected to be £8.38 million.

This includes all project costs, including provision for a team to manage delivery and governance over the three-year period, bringing the expected contract value for the upgrades to £7,810,447.

Contract mobilisation will begin in June 2025 for the first batch of properties to be upgraded.