A council's housing stock is on track to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by the 2015 deadline.

The good news for Fife Council was outlined in a report given at the latest meeting of the authority's Housing and Communities Committee.

Committee Chair Councillor Brian Goodall said: "This is really encouraging. Providing increased access to housing is one of our top eight priorities. But that on its own is not good enough – we must ensure we provide increased access to the very best possible housing."

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Senior Housing Manager Alan Russell said: "In 2009/10 alone, we are spending just under £40 million improving our council houses, with a programme including work on central heating, new windows, loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. So far a total of £120 million of improvements have been made to our properties."

Alan Russell added that Fife currently had 31,000 council houses, and all of them must meet the Standard which has been set by the Scottish Government by 2015.

Key elements of the Standard are that all housing must be free from serious disrepair, energy efficient, provided with modern facilities and services and healthy, safe and secure.

"I'd like to reassure our tenants that all our properties are in a good condition and the work we are doing is mainly to improve energy efficiency and fit modern kitchens. We’re doing this based on the existing condition so it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll do every house in a street at the same time," added Alan.

(GK/BMcC)