Each November, the local authority’s cabinet meets to agree the investment that is required for Housing Services to provide local residents with homes that are safe, secure and affordable. Five, very detailed reports, were presented to elected members for their consideration.

The recommendations within the East Ayrshire Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) were agreed, and £104m will be invested in new and acquired homes over the next five years (2026-2031). The SHIP plan aims to deliver up to 1,059 new and acquired attractive, safe, warm and secure homes across East Ayrshire.

The council’s successful house building programme, in partnership with Registered Social Landlords, has had a significant impact on communities across East Ayrshire, by providing attractive, environmentally sound homes and by regenerating local areas.

In the last year, 48 homes were completed at Kennedy Drive in Kilmarnock, providing a range of house styles and sizes that have been designed to meet specific needs.

Councillor Douglas Reid, leader of the council, said: “Our house building programme has brought significant and positive change to the lives of residents across East Ayrshire. I have visited every new development, spoken to tenants and seen first-hand the impact that a wheelchair accessible home has had on people of all ages, from children to our older residents.

“The homes are warm, they are economical to run and more recently our developments have been net zero where we have installed solar panels and heat source pumps to further reduce energy usage.

“We have also been working closely with the EA Health and Social Care Partnership on providing assisted living developments - Wallace Court in Mauchline being the most recent. This development provides 17 assisted living flats where the tenants are supported to live independently and can be actively involved in community life.

“New housing has also helped to regenerate areas - Witch Road in Kilmarnock for example has been transformed and we are hoping to be on site in Cumnock next year at George McTurk Court where we are planning a large development of up to 65 homes. More than once, I have been asked where the new council houses are because people have gone to have a look and only found ‘fancy new homes’. Our aim is to tackle inequality and ensure that everyone in East Ayrshire has a warm, attractive and secure home.

“While the council as a whole is facing significant financial challenges, we are still determined to deliver the best we can for our communities. Housing is a long-term investment and as we move forward, we will be looking closely at demographic projections for East Ayrshire to ensure that housing demand is fully assessed and that our plans are focused on investing in areas of need.”

Further to the SHIP investment, £139.8m will be invested in council house improvement works after cabinet agreed the recommendations contained within the Housing Investment Programme (HIP) for 2026-2031.

Energy efficiency will remain at the heart of improvement works being delivered over the next five years.

An investment of £45m will see 350 homes each year benefitting from a whole house approach to insulation works, external rendering and re-roofing, with a further 100 homes set to have replacement roofs; £7.5m will be invested in new energy efficient windows and doors for 200 homes, and over £17m will provide new Grade A energy efficient heating systems for 800 homes each year of the programme.

Over £45m will be invested in the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms, and electrical upgrades, for 680 homes each year of the programme. And £3.5m will be invested in a planned programme of cleaning and minor repair works to high-level gutters, rooflines and rainwater goods.

Councillor Jim McMahon, cabinet spokesperson for Housing, Transport and Communities, said: “Housing is a priority service and our housing investment programme is not just about the homes, it is about community and making positive change. We will be investing almost £140m in our existing housing stock over the next 5 years, and this investment will ensure that our homes continue to perform well and meet the needs of our tenants.

“I regularly visit our communities where improvement works are taking place and catch up with tenants and with our teams who are working really hard. They aim to complete kitchen, and bathroom installs within ten days and on occasion we are getting that down to just six days, which is fantastic. I was in Cumnock recently to view a kitchen installation and visited an elderly tenant whose kitchen and bathroom had recently been completed. She was absolutely delighted with the work and said that the workers had been really supportive and kind during the installation, which is great to hear.

“Housing investment also creates local jobs and opportunities for our young people. We have 40 apprentices employed across a range of construction trades, and another three working in Business Support, within Housing Services as part of our own apprenticeship programme. I was pleased to meet our Apprentice of the Year in Cumnock who is very close to completing her four year electrician apprenticeship.

“The success of our housing initiatives relies on effective consultation and engagement, and local voices help to shape our annual housing improvement programme. To this end, we work in partnership with the East Ayrshire Federation of Tenants and Residents and regularly consult with our tenants and local community groups.”

Cabinet agreed to consult with tenants on rent increase proposals for 2026/27 and 2027/28. Tenants will be presented with two proposals for each year – an increase of 7%, which is an average increase of £6.36 per week over the first year and £6.80 over the second year; and an increase of 7.5%, which would be an average increase of £6.81 per week over the first year and £7.29 over the second year.

Proposal two would be used to accelerate the programme of replacement fire rated flat doors detailed within the Housing Investment Programme report.