lCOUNCIL tenants in Bolton have received an £80 million boost.

Housing minister Keith Hill has announced the latest package of funding for Bolton at Home, the independent group which manages the borough's council homes, to bring housing up to 21st Century standards.

It is part of a £1 billion home improvement programme which will be carried out over the next 30 years.

The money - the second instalment of Government funding - will cover the cost of improvements carried out between 2005 and 2007.

A grant of £131 million has already been received to pay for the group's work from the start of the project in 2003 until 2004.

Cllr David Wilkinson, executive member for environment and housing at Bolton Council, said: "This is good news for the council and good news for tenants.

"It will ensure that all properties are brought up to a decent standard with central heating, proper bathrooms and kitchens and that they are safe, warm and secure."

It is estimated that more than £150 million will be needed to bring the borough's 21,000 council homes up to scratch with around half found not fit to live in by a Government survey last year.

Bolton at Home will be given £800 million in funding over the next 30 years before the council resumes its management role.

Private spin-offs are expected to take the total value of the scheme well past the £1 billion mark.

The group is the only one of its kind to be given powers over private sector housing and regeneration of council homes.

Tenants themselves are having a say over how funding is spent after having representatives elected to two boards representing the northern and southern halves of the borough.

New measures to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour have also be launched and a new multi-million academy established to give unemployed and low paid tenants the skills to find work with the firms taking on the workload.