§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the new home improvement grant system resulting from the Housing Act 1980 will come into effect; and if he will detail the main changes that have been made and state how they will be publicised.
§ Mr. StanleyThe new home improvement grant will take legal effect on 15 December. From that date all mandatory grants will be made under the new system. In England discretionary grants continue to be subject for the moment to the moratorium on new housing capital commitments announced on 22 October (DOE Circular 19/80).
A circular (DOE Circular 21/80; Welsh Office Circular 42/80) describing the new provisions in detail was sent to all local authorities on 8 December, and copies have been placed in the Library. A new booklet, "Home Improvement Grants", has been published in the Housing Booklet series explaining the new system. Copies have also been placed in the Library and from 15 December they will be available to the public from local authorities, housing aid centres, citizens' advice bureaux, and rent officers. The main changes in the home improvement grant system are as follows:
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- 1. Regulated and secure tenants in the private and public sectors will be able to apply for grants for the first time, as will prospective purchasers of houses.
- 2. Repairs grants are being extended to cover substantial and structural repairs to pre-1919 houses whether they are in an improvement area or not.
- 3. Local authorities can no longer reclaim grant if owner-occupiers sell their houses within five years of getting a grant.
- 4. To help those on low incomes mandatory intermediate grants will be available for the first time for putting in single standard amenities (for example, an inside WC), and local authorities will have wider descretion to waive the standards required for other grant-aided work.
- 5. The maximum rate of grant for all home improvement grants will now be 75 per cent. for priority cases, defined as houses in housing action areas; houses elsewhere which are unfit, lack one or more of the standard amenities, or are in need of substantial and structural repair; and houses in multiple occupation which lack means of escape from fire. In other cases, the maximum rate of grant will normally be 50 per cent., except for houses in general improvement areas where it will be 65 per cent. Where an applicant is in hardship, the 50 per cent. rate of grant may be increased to 65 per cent., and the 75 per cent. rate to 90 per cent.
- 6. Eligible expense limit for all grants are to be increased. Higher limits will be provided for London for the first time, and the limits for improvement grants will also be higher in priority cases defined as in paragraph 5. The new expense limits will be:
In Greater London Elsewhere £ £ Improvement grants— priority cases 11,500 8,500 non-priority 7,500 5,500 Repair grant 5,500 4,000 Intermediate grant— standard amenities— bath/shower 375 285 water to bath 475 360 water to basin 250 190 basin 145 110 sink 375 285 water to sink 315 240 WC 565 430 Repairs 3,500 2,500 Special grant— standard amenities As for intermediate grant means of escape from fire 9,000 6,750 repairs 3,500 2.500 Higher limits will apply for improvement and repair's grants for work to listed buildings, and to improvement grants for the conversion of buildings consisting of three or more storeys.