Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Council repair service is back
North Lanarkshire Council is reintroducing its repairs service for external works at tenants’ properties.
The authority was able to make the move following last month’s confirmation that Scotland had reached phase two of the staged easing of the coronavirus lockdown.
Council officials said: “We will now be progressing non-essential external works including painting, roofing works, fencing and render repairs.”
It comes as this year’s tenant survey showed that 97 per cent of residents in council homes are satisfied with the service they receive, and that 92.5 per cent are satisfied with the quality of their homes, with both figures having increased continually over the past six years.
Emergency repairs are now completed in a reduced average time of four hours and 15 minutes, while non-emergency works are now being completed in an average of seven working days, down by the equivalent of two days over the past six years.
The council also notes that it continues “to have a 100 per cent compliance rate through our gas safety management approach, ensuring the safety of our tenants and residents at all times,” and that “significant investment is being made to improve our homes including new heating systems, kitchens, bathrooms, doors and windows”.
Acting housing convener Councillor Pat O’Rourke said: “It’s encouraging to see real improvements in the delivery of our repairs and maintenance service that positively impact on our tenants, their lives and the homes they live in.
“We are never complacent and strive to continuously improve services – we’re looking at how we can further reduce the timescales for emergency repairs and are looking to re-introduce a two-hour emergency category for the most urgent.”