Newry, Mourne and Down District Councillors briefed on Housing Executive plans
Housing Executive investment in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area during 2024/25 amounted to £81.25m.
Grainia Long, Housing Executive Chief Executive, outlined the organisation’s progress across their Strategic Housing Authority and public landlord roles, over the last 12 months, to local councillors at the annual Housing Investment Plan update on, Tuesday, 26 August, 2025.
A total of £7.22m was invested in Housing Executive properties through planned maintenance and stock improvements during 2024/25. A further proposed spend of £7.00m is planned for Housing Executive homes across the district in 2025/26.
Last year £14.90m was invested specifically on energy efficiency improvement measures across our homes with plans to sustain this investment during 2025/26.
At the meeting, Grainia Long said: “The rent levels set over the last three years have given us some additional capacity to invest in our own homes. Last year we were able to make significant investments in improving our homes and, assuming rent levels remain stable, we plan to invest £750 million into our housing stock across Northern Ireland over the next three years.
“We are pleased to be able to deliver for our tenants however we do have concerns about the impact of the housing budget for 2025/26, specifically on the ambitions for increasing housing supply.
“Investment in new-build homes in the District saw 447 housing association units on-site at March 2025, and 164 housing completions for the year.
“Any addition to housing stock is a benefit however the pressure on future capital spending will continue into 2025/26 and we will see another year where the number of new social homes being built falls short of what is required.
“We must continue to collaborate with councils and the housing sector to find solutions.”
Work to support the most vulnerable in our communities continued throughout the year with £6.28m invested through the Supporting People programme to fund 61 services provided by partner organisations across the District.
This investment provided housing support to 1,301 people last year.
Across the District, 677 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support last year. Ringfenced budget for 2025/26 will help to focus on homelessness prevention and providing the right help at the right time for people who need it.
Building cohesive, thriving and supportive communities across the District remained a key area of focus in the investment plan for 2024/25.
Ms Long continued: “We were able to support local communities with £75k funding through our community grants, community safety and community cohesion programmes.
“We recognise the importance of inclusion and good relations in helping people sustain their tenancies and build strong communities.
“We know this is more important than ever when we continue to face deep rooted challenges in the housing sector.
“In addition to investing in homes and communities in 2024/25, we are also pleased to have been able to support the economic future of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area with a steady, positive impact on employment and local supply chains.
“This demonstrates the vital economic lever that housing provides, both Northern Ireland wide and throughout our local communities.
“This update on our Housing Investment Plan coincides with the start of our new three-year corporate strategy – Our Promise to Our Communities.
“The strategy commits us to contributing more to the health of our customers, building cohesive neighbourhoods, driving sustainable growth opportunities and brighter futures for generations across Northern Ireland.
“Whilst we recognise the challenging environment we are operating in we are also confident that there are many opportunities to build on the great work carried out through partnerships with our local councils.
“I am looking forward to continuing this work as we deliver against our shared goal of providing better places to live for the people and communities we serve.”