Swindon Borough Council sets aside £7m for new roofs and solar panels

Swindon Borough Council plan to repair roofs and install 300 solar panels in Penhill

More than £7m has been set aside to repair roofs and fit solar panels on council houses and blocks of flats in a town estate.

The initial aim is to get solar panels on 300 roofs in Penhill, Swindon in the next two years.

Swindon Borough Council hope the scheme will save tenants money on their bills and reduce carbon.

Councillor Janine Howarth estimates it could reduce energy bills by as much as £540 a year.

The website Bidstats, which shows details of contracts put out to tender by local authorities, lists one three-year contract, which could be extendable for another two years, for the work on council properties in Euclid Street.

The total costs of the five-year contract are listed as £7.5m.

Reducing energy bills

Swindon Borough Council is looking for suitably qualified and experienced contractors to fulfil the project, with bids to be submitted by October 5.

Councillor Janine Howarth, the council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We are constantly looking at ways to improve the condition of our housing stock so we provide the best possible accommodation for our tenants.

"This latest investment, which delivers on our missions to Build a Better Swindon and Achieve Net Zero, will deliver new roofs to more than 300 properties in Penhill over the first two years of the programme, with almost half the homes being suitable for solar panels.

"We estimate this will reduce energy bills by as much as £540 a year for those tenants, which is fantastic news for them and great for the environment."

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [e-mail]