Fife Council has agreed to invest almost £62m in its houses over the next year.

The majority of the budget will be used to continue to carry out maintenance work on homes across Fife to bring them up to the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.

A number of improvements are included as part of the work, such as new bathrooms, replacing windows and doors and installing central heating systems. Maintenance works to roofs and door entry systems, roughcasting and rewiring will also be undertaken, as well as the installation of new kitchens and energy efficiency works.

More than £8m will be spent on wider investment works, including improvements to high rise housing, the conversion of bedsits to one and two-bedroom properties and decommissioning of sheltered housing to provide general needs homes as well as property extensions due to overcrowding, disabilities and for children with special needs; while more than £13m will be invested to help deliver on policy options including the new build projects to build new council homes, energy efficiency projects and estates initiatives.

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Council Depute Leader David Ross said: "Good progress has been made in the last year to deliver improvements for tenants and the same level of investment will be maintained this year.

"Over £37 million will be spent bringing properties in line with the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and this figure alone equates to 13,300 individual home improvements in the next year. That’s 13,300 enhancements that will make our properties more comfortable and fit for purpose for our tenants. It will also stand us in good stead for meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard for our homes by 2015."

Mr Ross added: "These improvements are funded from rent money raised from our tenants and will be put to good use making existing properties better for residents. By ensuring we’re putting in quality replacements such as kitchens and windows for people, we are continuing to invest in properties so they are fit for the future."

Improvement works include:

* Work on 700 roofs

* Roughcasting to 600 homes

* 80 replacement door entry systems

* New windows for 675 homes and new doors for 585 homes

* Improved heating systems for 1,950 homes

* Improved insulation for 2,000 homes

* New baths and showers for 240 homes

* New kitchens for 2,100 homes

* Rewiring to 1,100 homes

* New smoke detector units for 2,500 homes

(JP/CD)