East Lothian Council has confirmed it is to invest a total of £25.6m on modernising housing stock, new affordable housing and mortgage to rent schemes.

Around £10.1m will be allocated to improve council houses. Improvement works include replacing kitchens, bathrooms, central heating, windows and doors in selected properties, as well as carrying out energy efficiency works such as home insulation. Repairing dry roughcast exteriors and improving stirs are also planned.

The funding is expected to deliver 550 kitchen replacements, 250 bathroom replacements and 450 replacement heating systems. It will also fund adaptations to properties of disabled tenants, local initiative projects and extensions to properties to alleviate overcrowding.

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The Council has also approved £14.3m to build 116 new council homes in Musselburgh, Whitecraig, Tranent, Prestonpans, Haddington, North Berwick and Dunbar.

To date, the Council has been awarded £11.5m from the Scottish Government for its new build programme. It is now working with the Government to allocate £7m of new funding for affordable housing to be delivered via the Council and Registered Social Landlords.

For private homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage due to a change in circumstances, the Council has set aside £0.6m into a mortgage-to-rent scheme. This means, in certain circumstances, the Council will buy the home from the owner and rent it back to them as a tenant.

East Lothian Council Cabinet Spokesperson for Housing, Councillor Norman Hampshire, said: "This is a large investment which will support existing tenants, people seeking social housing tenancies and also some owner-occupiers facing homelessness. Our modernisation scheme aims to support existing tenants by improving their properties and, by making homes more energy efficient, helping tenants to manage and reduce fuel bills.

"We are also committed to increasing the number of council and housing association properties to accommodate East Lothian’s burgeoning population. This is key in building our local economy and supporting our local communities."

(JP/CD)