Liverpool's first new council homes in decades are now occupied in a major step forward for the city's social housing plans.
The council is in the process of building or refurbishing new homes for rent after negotiations between mayor Joe Anderson and the government saw £735m of housing debt owed to the Treasury written off in 2019, allowing the local authority to start the process that would eventually lead to new homes being built.
Its eventual ambitions are for thousands of new homes for a combination of rental types, but the number completed so far is low.
The local authority has had to navigate series of challenges before it can start building large numbers of homes, one being that financing them through government grants and loans is proving difficult.
However, documents from next week's cabinet meeting reveal the first three homes in Picton have now been let.
The documents read: "The Mayor and the Cabinet Lead for Housing have committed to returning to direct Council Housing; both building new homes and refurbishing existing homes within the City.
"The Council has currently let its first three homes in Picton.
"Whilst Government have removed the need to repay the housing revenue account debts, there remains a number of challenges in terms of returning to large scale Council Housing, notably that there are no social rented property grants and the rise of Public Works Loan Board interest rates."
The LDRS understands the properties are in Webster Road, where the council also operates the Homes for a Pound scheme.
Liverpool was the first city in Europe to introduce council homes in 1869 in an effort to tackle poor hygiene and sanitation, but changes in central government policy mean its stock has dwindled.
Liverpool transferred the last of its housing stock to housing associations in 2008.
