A deal has been agreed so South Kesteven District Council can speed up the improvement of its housing stock.

The move follows the council for failing to meet safety and other standards and referring itself to the Regulator of Social Housing.

As Nub News recently reported , it said it would take no further statutory action against SKDC, but the council had breached Home Standards.

The safety failings concerned the council's 6,000 properties across the district, as previously reported by Nub News.

Today, a meeting of the council's cabinet voted to form 'strategic partnership' with Kent-based GEN2, which could become larger after a 12 month review.

Three contracts would be placed with the company, including:

1- Procurement and project management specialist support for the implementation of the Fire Risk Assessments works up to a value of £7,000.

2- Procurement and project management specialist support for the renewal of the Gas contract up to a value of £20,000.

3- Procurement and project management specialist support for the Windows and Doors capital programme up to a value of £22,000

Cabinet member for housing, Coun Robert Reid, said the initiative would "support resource limitations to deliver housing capital works."

Council leader Kelham Cooke said GEN2, which is owned by Kent County Council, is a very experienced and reputable organisation.

The move would help the council "respond to our own challenge to improve our housing stock in the shortest

possible time." A report prepared for the meeting said: "Nonetheless during 21/22 there still room for a very significant programme dealing with known and emerging priorities. "These will reflect clearly those works that the Regulator would also wish to see completed or in progress during the next 12 months. "Such works will include enhanced heating replacement programme, electrical re-wiring and electrical testing to prove up to date certification of homes, asbestos inspections, and management, and of course Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) works arising from the recently procured FRA inspection process. "Significantly officers have included other improvement activities around window and door replacements, fencing improvements, communal heating upgrades, external painting programmes, etc." It added: "We should under normal circumstances have already planned our detailed procurement programme and be finalising specifications and seeking the necessary procurement processes to ensure all these critical schemes are delivered on schedule and within

budget parameters.

"Given however the non-compliance 'catch up' and process work we are currently engaged in, not all the procurement and delivery of these critical contracts

can be delivered using current housing technical resources. "To avoid not achieving the critical delivery of contracts, officers have concluded that another more innovative

approach needs to be considered to achieve significantly different outcomes."