How Bolton at Home will achieve the Decent Homes standard by 2010

What is a Decent Home?

A decent home must meet all of the following 4 criteria;

It must meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing
It is in a reasonable state of repair
It has reasonably modern facilities and services
It provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

1. Current statutory minimum standard for housing

Dwellings below this standard are those defined as unfit under section 604 of the Housing Act 1985 (as amended by the 1989 Local Government and Housing Act)
A dwelling is unfit if it does not meet one or more of the following;

be free of structural disrepair
be structurally stable
be free from dampness that negatively affects the health of the occupants
have adequate provision for lighting, heating and ventilation
have an adequate supply of wholesome water
have an effective drainage system for the drainage of foul, waste and surface water
have a suitably located WC for exclusive use of the occupants
have a bath or shower and wash-hand basin, with hot and cold water
have satisfactory facilities for the preparation and cooking of food including a sink with hot and cold water

2. Reasonable state of repair

Properties do not meet this criterion if either:

1 or more of the key building components are old and because of their condition need replacing or major repair;

Key building components are:

External walls
Roof structure and covering
Windows / doors
Chimneys
Central heating boilers
Gas fires
Storage heaters
Electrics

2 or more of the other building components are old and, because of their condition, need replacing or major repair.

Other building components include:

Kitchens
Bathrooms

3. Reasonably modern facilities and services

The property will not meet this criterion if it lacks 3 or more of the following:

A reasonably modern kitchen (20 years old or less);
A kitchen with adequate space and layout;
A reasonably modern bathroom (30 years old or less)
An appropriately located bathroom and WC;
Adequate insulation against external noise (where external noise is a problem);
Adequate size and layout of common areas for blocks of flats

4. Reasonable degree of thermal comfort

This means it must have both effective insulation and efficient heating.

How is Bolton going to achieve this?

Bolton is committed to achieving 100% decent homes by 2008, two years earlier than the government’s target of 2010. This will be achieved through the works completed on the Planned Capital Programme. The programme is developed each year.

Bolton had 12,684 homes classed as non-decent (58%) at 1st April 2001. Continuous improvement has been made in reducing the number of non-decent properties, the projection for the number of stock non-decent at April 2006 is 3,689 and we are on target to achieve the Bolton at Home target of 0% non-decent by 2008.

Progress chart of Decent Homes

Year	No:	%
Actual no. of homes non-decent at April 2001	12,684	58%
Actual no. of homes non-decent at April 2002	11,278	52.56%
Actual no. of homes non-decent at April 2003	10,463	50.02%
Actual no. of homes non-decent at April 2004	8,793	43.7%
Actual no. of homes non-decent at April 2005	5759	30.63%
Estimated no. of homes non-decent at April 2006	3,689	19.8%
Estimated no. of homes non-decent at April 2007	1,609	8.9%
Estimated no. of homes non-decent at April 2008	0	0%

How is this going to be funded?

In January 2002 Bolton at Home funded a Stock Condition Survey (SCS) which showed an investment requirement of £863m over 30 years (with £176m required in the first five years). This was updated in April 2004 showing a £198m investment needed over the five year period. The Capital programme for the current financial year (2005/06) will be funded as follows:

Funding Source	£000
Useable Capital Receipts	1,625
Major Repairs Allowance	10,000
Supported Borrowing	1,100
Revenue Contributions	2,513
ALMO Supplementary Credit Approval	39,762
Total	£55,000

Links to other information about Decent Homes

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s website contains further information about decent homes and achieving targets

http://www.odpm.gov.uk (opens in a new window)

Contact us

If you have any comments or questions please contact us by one of the following methods:

Telephone : 01204 33 5703

Decent Homes Enquiry
The Asset Management Team
2nd Floor Adelaide House
Adelaide Street
Bolton
BL3 3NY

Or use our Feedback Form (this can also be printed and posted)