THE borough council has increased spending on its properties by more than £1.7m.
Council tenants will benefit from the extra cash as part of a reinstatement programme for Wates Prefabricated Reinforced Concrete (PRC) housing in the borough.
The authority's housing committee agreed a programme of work for 2005/06, to be shared with the rent restructuring working party.
This will see additional funding being invested into reinstating some of the final 66 unreinstated Wates PRC houses on Faraday Road and Mallory Road.
Capital funding is also being used to reinstate the houses on Tennyson Road which, during last year, had its budget increased from £1.05m to more than £1.45m.
Consent has been given for a contract to be negotiated with Bullock Construction Limited to complete the works.
Borough councillors have also allocated additional funding for the Prior to Painting programme. This budget has increased from £2.155m last year to £2.209m for this year.
Financial provision for supervision and management will increase from £2.739m last year to £2.891m in 2005/06.
However, revenue funding for day-to-day repairs will remain the same as the previous year at just under £2.1m.
The programme is seen as affordable, leaving a balance of more than £1.3m in the Housing Revenue Account.
Chairman of the housing committee, Cllr Justin Madders, said: 'We are pleased to have at long last reached the point where the end of our reinstatement programme for Wates PRC houses is in sight.'
The vice-chairman of housing had commended the programme to full council.
