Falkirk Council is to invest over £104 million in housing across the region until 2020.

In its new £330m budget for 2017/18, a total of £17.5m will be spent on improvements to around 6,000 properties across the area.

Key highlights include:

• £8.7m for re-roofing and roughcasting

• £2.2m for replacement kitchens and bathrooms

• £2m for electrical improvement works

• £2.2m allocated for an on-going programme of heating system upgrades, which will improve the energy efficiency of around 750 homes. A further £1.5m will be spent on improving local estates.

In addition, 158 new homes will be built in Falkirk, Denny, Hallglen and Grangemouth. The House building programme will cost £23.4m.

A further £6m has been set aside to 'buy-back' former council homes sold under 'right-to-buy' legislation. Around 250 properties are expected to be purchased.

Council rents are also set to increase by an average of 3.6% from 01 April. However, four in 10 tenants will be protected from the rents rise due to Housing Benefit protection.

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Cllr Gerry Goldie said: "There is a real on-going need for additional affordable homes, available to rent to those who need them most.

"Our house building programme is ambitious and has already delivered 356 new homes across the area and our buy-back scheme is successful in providing a way of getting the types of properties people need most back into circulation.

"The wider investment we are making to improve our homes will help benefit thousands of tenants however, the money we raise from rents can only be spent on this and not applied across other areas of the Council's spending."

In addition, £30m has been allocated for various Capital Investment Programmes across the region, including:

• £14.3m for Development Services (including roads investment and flood prevention work)

• £7m for Children’s Services (including property extensions and new build)

• £5.6m for the (TIF) Tax Incremental Finance Scheme (including roundabout works)

• £3m for Corporate and Housing Services (including technology improvements to bring efficiency gains)

Specific plans include:

• £5.6m for TIF project progressing the plans to bring more than £400m investment and 6000 jobs to the area over the next 25 years

• £5m for roads and street lighting improvements

• £3.7m for completion of a new school for children with additional support needs

• £2.5m for technology improvements to deliver more efficient services and education

• £1.7m for Grangemouth flood prevention work

• £1.6m school improvements

• £1m in Falkirk and Denny town centres

• £810,000 for the continuation of the Denny Eastern Access Road

Council Leader Craig Martin said: "The investment programme is ambitious and we have focussed on making the biggest impact from very tight resources.

"We're continuing to prioritise projects such as the TIF scheme that could deliver thousands of jobs locally as well as significant investment in schools, roads and technology."

(LM/MH)