Croydon has been granted £5m in Mayoral funding after bidding for the cash to improve housing in the borough.

The cash will be used to make energy efficiency and environmental improvements to hundreds of council homes.

It will help bring empty properties back into use and provide extra funds for council-run homeowner improvement schemes.

Vulnerable and elderly tenants in sheltered housing will be among the main beneficiaries of schemes to install central heating upgrades, cladding, solar heating and rainwater recycling into council properties.

New-build council property will be made more energy efficient and extensions and conversions of some social housing stock will create larger homes for overcrowded families.

Private sector housing schemes Coldbusters and Houseproud are also set to benefit, helping hundreds of owner-occupiers to make energy efficiency and improvements to their homes Councillor Dudley Mead, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this funding which is good news for both council tenants and homeowners.

“The money will be used to upgrade council property above Decent Homes standards and assist homeowners to improve their properties, helping tackle fuel poverty and cut carbon emissions in the process.

“It will also help us to bring more empty properties back into use and to create large family homes to meet housing needs in the borough.”