More than £1.4 million is to be invested in trying to bring Bridgnorth’s council housing stock up to scratch during the next financial year.

District council chiefs have earmarked the funds as part of its planned maintenance programme for 2008/9 to carry out vital repairs to bring houses up to government standards.

The figure includes £51,700 to carry out flood prevention works to houses at Worfield, Shifnal and Ditton Priors which was first agreed last November following the summer floods.

Westgate bosses today said they were still on target for all of the authority’s housing stock to meet the government’s “Decent Homes” standard by the end of 2010/11.

That standard covers a reasonable state for key building components such as external walls, roofs, windows and doors, chimneys, heating installations and electrics.

Roger Mullard, Bridgnorth District Council’s head of housing and property services, said: “It is estimated that if the planned maintenance programme for 2008/09 is approved as recommended, the number of non-decent homes within the council’s ownership will fall to 161 at the end of that financial year, and we should still be on target to reach the Decent Homes Standard for all of our properties within the Government’s timescale.

“The number of non-decent homes on April 1 last year was 259 and we are on target for that to be 186 next month. Then at the end of 2010/11 it should be down to zero.”

He added: “The budget for planned improvements of £1.4million is part of an ongoing programme. We have consulted tenants about the work that needs to be carried out, as we do every year.”