§ Mr. Durantasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to give council tenants greater opportunities to repair their own dwellings if they wish.
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§ Mr. StanleyThe Housing Act 1980 gave public sector tenants the right to improve their homes and to carry out external decoration subject to their landlord's written consent. It also gave council tenants the right to apply for home improvement grants on the same basis as private-sector tenants.
In addition, we have been carrying out a study in the Department of the various schemes organised by individual local authorities to enable their tenants, if they wish, to do their own repairs with, in certain cases, some financial assistance being given by the authority. This study entitled "Tenant Partiipation in the Repair and Maintenance of Council Houses" is being published today and copies are being sent to all local authorities in England. The study shows the substantial potential that exists for more councils to allow tenants who want to do so to carry out some of their own repairs. I have recently asked all local authoities to consider the particular tenants repair scheme that has been established by the London borough of Havering in which tenants' rent accounts are credited in relation to repairs they do for themselves. I am placing copies of the study in the Library.