The Housing Executive has invested £60.65 million in Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area during 2023/24.

Grainia Long, the Housing Executive's chief executive, outlined the organisation’s investment commitments to local councillors at the annual Housing Investment Plan update on November 18.

Investment in Housing Executive properties through planned maintenance and stock improvements decreased from £6.57 million in 2022/23 to £3.67 million during 2023/24.

An increase is planned for 2025, with a proposed spend of £7.27 million on planned maintenance and stock improvements across the district.

Last year, the Housing Executive invested £21.7 million specifically on energy efficiency improvement measures across homes, with plans to sustain this investment during 2024/25.

At the meeting, Ms. Long said: "Whilst we are pleased that we have been increasing investment in improving our own homes over the last year and will continue to do so in 2024/25, the current budgetary environment is presenting challenges for other housing provision and services.

"It is especially concerning that we may not be able to fully fund many of the programmes needed by so many households; such as homelessness prevention and Affordable Warmth."

The Housing Executive invested £4.98 million through the Supporting People programme to fund 53 services provided by partner organisations across the district.

This investment provided housing support to 940 people last year.

Ms Long said: “We were able to support local communities with £34k 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.

“Looking ahead to next year there is no doubt that we have challenges to overcome however we remain fully committed to the objectives set out in our Housing Investment Plan 2023 -26."