Ratcliffe Walk – Cabinet member for housing Cllr Zahoor Ahmed and Vinci construction manager Paul Venmore

Around 70 council homes have received a major external makeover and tenants are thrilled with the work done.

The homes – in Halesowen Street, Judge Close, Ratcliffe Walk and Tipperary Walk – have been fitted with new composite front doors and double-glazed windows.

And new roofs along with better loft insulation are making homes warmer.

The fronts of properties have been freshened up with new lightweight tiles.

Locally manufactured in Tipton by Britmet, the tiles are maintenance-free and offer further insulation, especially to bedrooms.

Residents have also benefitted from new gas/electric meter cupboard doors, new porch roofs, fencing and footpath resurfacing. There are also new areas for refuse bins. Communal fencing has also been replaced where needed and painted.

Vinci has carried out the work.

Visiting Ratcliffe Walk, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for housing Councillor Zahoor Ahmed said: “It’s great to see first-hand the improvements that have been made to benefit tenants by the council and its construction partner Vinci.

“This project is part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality homes, working to improve our existing housing stock for our tenants as well as building hundreds of much-needed new council homes.”