THE Government has allocated an extra £1m to be spent on housing in the Wear Valley area.

Housing bosses at Wear Valley District Council say that the cash boost will go a long way to helping the authority meet government guidelines laid down in the Decent Homes policy.

The policy states that all council houses should be brought up to a decent standard by 2010 and standards should be raised in houses in deprived areas by 2004.

Michael Laing, director of housing services, said: "We will be getting £1m extra next year and probably the same amount again the year after.

"We will be putting some of that money into our reserves because reserves are low at the moment because we have had to tap into them.

"The rest of the money will be put into the services such as doing up empty houses and carrying out repairs. We need to try and get people into the empty houses.''

But Mr Laing said that the money is still not enough to make sure that the authority meets the standards laid down by 2010.

He said: "Although £1m is welcome it won't be enough for us to meet the Decent Homes standard. To do that we will need an extra £3m a year."

The money comes as the Government tries to even out the North-South housing divide to bring council housing standards in the region up to those in the southern counties.

Over the years, authorities in the south of the country have been given as much as £1,000 more per house more than authorities in the north such as Wear Valley District Council.

News of the extra funding was given to members of Wear Valley District Council's housing committee last week.

Mr Laing said: "Committee members are pleased that the Government has recognised the difference between the North and South. This has been a long campaign by the tenants and will mean we are all on a more level playing field."