Stroud Standard for housing

It is exciting to see that an idea that came out of the Scrutiny Task and Finish group that I chaired is finally coming to fruition. For the last two years I have been working on trying to improve our Council's response to climate change and fuel poverty. One of the recommendations we made earlier this year re housing standards was to create our own Stroud Standard that could prioritise fuel poverty. Well the Energy Strategy which the Task group requested was finally passed last month and is now being acted on - the next step is consultation with tenants.....

A consultation leaflet has been sent to all District Council tenants explaining what the new system could mean for future investment in the housing stock. Tenants have been asked to indicate what type of things they would wish to see prioritised for inclusion in a future “Stroud Standard” for housing. A copy of the document has also been place on the Council’s website and is available through the following link: http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/housing/new/self_financing.asp

It is now down to tenants to let the Council know what they want. It seems clear to me one of the key issues is to reduce the running costs of their homes - energy costs are one of the key elements of this.