We are a social landlord to 16,000 households and take very seriously our responsibility to provide good quality homes that are warm, safe, in good condition and have modern facilities.
We know housing is more than just shelter; it is the foundation for wellbeing and living a good life, hence why we are committed to improving properties for our tenants and finding solutions to homelessness.
By 2030 the Council’s Housing Revenue Account capital programme will deliver investment of £190m to improve our social housing stock to meet Decent Homes Standard, as well as bring properties up to full compliance with health and safety requirements. The programme of works is big and small, from replacing a kitchen, or insulating a home, through to estate renewal projects like phase four of the Gascoigne Estate which by 2032 will deliver 474 new homes meeting the newest building standards.
Upgrading insulation, heating systems and ventilation all contribute significantly to improving the energy efficiency of properties. This considerable investment programme helps future-proof housing stock and is part of the transition to meet the Government’s Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and new Decent Homes Standard (currently in consultation).
In addition to direct investment in social housing stock, we will continue to deliver energy efficiency upgrades through our Cosy Homes programme. 1,700 homes have received upgrades already. By 2030 5,000 homes will have benefitted from retrofitting work, improving thermal comfort and efficiency, and saving those households hundreds of pounds a year on energy bills. The Government’s recently launched Warm Homes Plan, backed by £15bn of funding for home upgrades, will help millions of families benefit from solar panels, batteries, heat pumps and insulation, and we will be looking to receive and use our share of that funding.
The scale of the challenge to meet Decent Homes Standard and MEES is enormous. Once the latest Stock Condition Survey concludes in 2027, we will know the full extent of works needed to achieve that goal. Current estimates, not including total costs for decarbonisation of housing stock, suggest investment of at least £1.8bn is needed to upgrade properties to meet minimum standards.
Awaab’s Law ensures the tragedy of Awaab Ishak is not repeated which is why we will be doing more to protect tenants in social housing from serious health risks caused by issues like damp and mould. Housing services, policies and procedures have been re-designed to ensure speedy triage of reported hazards and good quality of response, but we will continue to review and improve services to meet Awaab’s Law to the best of our ability.
Key to protecting tenants from risk is having good intelligence about the condition of our properties and who is living in them. We will be developing a more pro-active and data-led approach to property maintenance to avoid deterioration of housing stock and to identify vulnerabilities of tenants. Over the next three years we aim to visit every tenant through the ‘Behind Every Door’ programme.
Tenant engagement of this kind will help to build intelligence and have a more holistic approach. It will be the bedrock of co-production in housing, working with tenants about their housing needs and services to support their wellbeing. Through housing we can safeguard vulnerable people by identifying neglect and abuse and we can support health and independence. That is why deeper integration and with social care is at the centre of our approach to transforming housing services. Asset management is only part of the responsibility and duty of care we have to tenants.
We want everyone who lives in social housing to live in warmth, safety and comfort providing them the foundation for a good quality of life. Investment in decent homes is investment in thriving communities, and investment in a carbon free future.
| Measure | LBBD | London | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-decent local authority dwellings as a proportion of the total council housing stock | 8.5% | 11.4% | 9.1% |
Please note: This is the latest available data as at 1st February 2026.
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham