Folkestone and Hythe District Council Scoop Kent Housing Group Excellence Award

This week the Folkestone and Hythe District Council Assets & Social Housing Decarbonisation Team won BIG at the Kent Housing Group Excellence Awards 2024 by walking home as the winners in the Asset Management category.

The team are striving towards achieving the district pledge to tenants to ensure that all 3,400 of our council homes’ energy rating is brought up to at least EPC ‘C’ by 2030. The team are in the final stages of installing energy efficient measures in 425 homes across the district.

With Ross House (a block of 16 retrofitted apartments in Sandgate with energy efficiency improvements) being an excellent example of what can be achieved, the team were well recognised for their dedication to improving tenants day-to-day lives and reducing energy bills.

Gill Butler, Chief Officer for Housing, said:

"I'm hugely proud of the team and all they've managed to achieve in the past two years. There’s still more work to do on decarbonising the council’s housing stock, but it’s really good for FHDC’s housing team to be recognised as leading the way in the county".

Lib Dem Cabinet Member Gary Fuller commented:

“I was delighted to be be there when the fully refurbished Ross House in Sandgate was reopened. The works had transformed an often cold and leaky building into a warm dry one that was MUCH cheaper to live in, with air source heat pumps powered by solar panels and massively more insulation.

"That's the standard we should aspire to for all homes across the district. It's not just greener but much cheaper to heat and live in which is a MASSIVE advantage for our tenants.”