Lives Transformed Through Council Improvement Programme

A £200 million council home improvement programme is continuing to transform the lives of local people through the creation of new jobs and training opportunities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme will see all of its tenants’ homes brought up to a specific set of standards by 2020. Works being carried out as part of this programme include new kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems and external improvements.
In 2016/17 the council received £7,340,000 from the Welsh Government Major Repairs Allowance which contributed to WHQS improvements. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council’s in-house workforce is undertaking a proportion of the improvements and, as a result, recently appointed 7 new apprentices across a variety of trades to work on the programme. In addition, 3 previous WHQS apprentices successfully gained permanent positions with the team. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cllr David Poole, the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, said “As well as transforming tenants homes, the council has made a commitment to ensure the investment being made into WHQS is maximised to deliver wider benefits across the county borough. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The council’s housing division has a long history of supporting apprenticeships; recognising the invaluable opportunities they provide in offering people training and qualifications, alongside gaining hands-on experience in their chosen career. It’s excellent to see that the WHQS investment is being used to create new apprenticeship opportunities for local people.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​