Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2010 - Falkirk Council

6. RESOURCES
General Background
6.1 The Council is committed to meeting its key strategic objectives within the Strategic
Community Plan, Single Outcome Agreement and Local Housing Strategy by:
• Increasing the supply of affordable housing options which meet the needs of
local people;
• Ensuring the provision of good quality housing by investing in existing stock
and regeneration activity;
• Promoting sustainability and energy efficiency within the Council’s housing
stock across all tenures and addressing issues of fuel poverty affecting
vulnerable households.
6.2 A strategic approach to financing these key objectives has been adopted which
aims to maximise the use of a range of funding streams that contribute both to
increasing the number of new affordable homes in the area and ensure the ongoing
viability of the existing housing stock. For example, tackling issues of disrepair in
private sector housing, improving the quality of social rented housing and carrying
out adaptations to existing stock to make homes more attractive or more suitable for
people in housing need, all contribute to the overall provision of affordable housing.
6.3 Over the past 5 years £28m of grant funding from the AHIP has been made
available for investment by RSLs in the Falkirk Council area as detailed in Figure F
below. Funding peaked in 2009/10 with a grant out-turn figure of £9,138,929.
However, as a result of the National Government’s austerity measures to reduce the
budget deficit, it is likely that the future will bring reduced budgets across all
government departments. Figures from the Scottish Government show that we are
entering a long period, perhaps as many as 16 years, before the budget will return
in real terms to 2009-10 levels – Figure F below.
Figure F
£10,000,000
£9,000,000
£8,000,000
£7,000,000
£6,000,000
£5,000,000
£4,000,000
£3,000,000
£2,000,000
£1,000,000
£0
Falkirk Council AHIP Expenditure Out-turn Figures
2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11*
* 2010-11 – Estimated out-turn figure
40
Out-Turn Figures