Enabling, special needs and private sector

Enabling, special needs and private sector - Apart from working with Housing Associations and other agencies to identify housing need and developing the Council's housing strategies, this section has wide-ranging responsibilities, which include:

• assessing and enforcing Private sector housing conditions and providing advice for landlords. further information on this can be found in our Private Sector Housing Strategy.
• administering discretionary Home improvement grants and loans
• adaptations for the disabled in council owned accomodation
• our Care and Repair agency helps older or disabled people with house repairs, improvements or adaptations including the provision of a Handyperson Scheme
• promoting Energy efficiency in residential dwellings in the home developing energy efficiency initiatives;
• offering advice and assistance on bringing empty properties back into use;
• administering home ownership schemes, in particular the Right To Buy scheme and the Assisted Purchase Scheme, which helps Council tenants who want to purchase a home in the private sector;
• offering grant funding to help Registered Social Landlords provide new general needs housing for rent or low-cost sale;
• working with developers to maximise the provision of affordable housing in new private developments; and
• providing services for people with special needs, in particular older people. This includes the management of the Community Alarm Services, the Sheltered housing warden service, Meals On Wheels and Day Centres such as the Douglas Brunton Centre.