Ashfield District Council has launched its new housing strategy setting out how they will ensure Ashfield residents, which includes people in Hucknall, are living in, or can access, homes that are affordable, warm and safe.

The strategy will see a number of priorities delivered between now and 2023. The key priorities include preventing homelessness and rough sleeping, developing 100 new Council homes, and improving standards in the private rented sector. They are also focused on maintaining and improving Council homes, including their energy efficiency; providing excellent customer service to residents and using technology to deliver services more efficiently.

Councillor Tom Hollis, Cabinet Member for Council & Social Housing said "The Housing Strategy sets out what we will deliver in the next two years. The Council is ambitious with its housing priorities and work has already started on many of these projects.

"New affordable housing developments are already underway across the District, adding 45 new homes to our housing stock this year. Works to improve energy efficiency in Council homes continues as does our work with private sector landlords."

The 2018-2020 Housing Strategy saw the Council meet a large number of its key priorities and Councillor Hollis is keen for this success to be built on moving forward.

He said: "We achieved so much as part of the last Housing Strategy, we have been working hard to tackle rogue landlords across the District issuing over £75,000 in fines, had our first ever enforced sale bringing a dilapidated property back into use and secured over £1m of funding we're using to deliver services and support to rough sleeps [sic].

"The new strategy sets out even more ambitious priorities that will help us in our continued commitment to ensuring Ashfield residents are living in, or can access, homes that are affordable, warm and within a safe community that promotes the health and wellbeing of residents."