THE New Year is bringing welcome home improvements to many residents living across Stockton Borough.

Jenny Shotton, who has been living at her house in Billingham for four years, is among those looking forward to the home upgrades.

She said: “It is fantastic that there is now this opportunity for repairs, replacements and upgrades. All of the residents I’ve spoken to are delighted, particularly those who don’t have double glazing already.

“It’s really reassuring to know that this investment will ensure we can access money for home repairs when they’re needed.”

This good news is as a result of a massive investment programme secured through the transfer of 10,250 homes from Stockton Council to Tristar Homes in December 2010.

Jenny added: “I’m really impressed with the way residents have been consulted and involved in the transfer process. I was a member of the Housing Futures Committee and as part of this we had the opportunity to express our views and fully understand what the transfer would mean, not only for us but also for our children and our children’s children, who will now have better access to social housing when they need it.”

Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety, Councillor Steve Nelson, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing tenants benefit from the investment. The multi-million pound investment programme will really improve the home environment for thousands of people living across the Borough and provides the opportunity to invest in homes for future generations.” There are also now more resources to tackle anti-social behaviour, improvements in dealing with repairs and out-of-hours appointments, a handy person service for older tenants and £13 million will be spent making neighbourhoods greener and safer.

Tristar Homes is a newly created housing association with the power and resources to invest in large scale home improvements throughout the Borough, starting in 2011.

Not only did the transfer create the investment to improve people’s homes and their communities but it also provided the opportunity for Tristar Homes to form a new housing group – Vela - in partnership with Housing Hartlepool. The benefits of this new and exciting partnership have already been seen in Stockton with the building of new homes which are managed by Tristar Homes.

David Pickard, Group Director of Operations for the Vela Group said: “Following the resounding endorsement of tenants to the transfer, voting 89.6% in favour, and their confidence in Tristar Homes, we are now relishing delivering both our new investment programme and a range of enhanced and new services that tenants want to see.”

He added: “We look forward to continuing to work alongside Stockton Borough Council and our other partners, and by listening to our customers we will make the best use of the additional resources we have to invest in homes and improve people’s lives.”