Individual Almshouse accounts were sufficient in the early days for routine maintenance and repairs, but towards the end of the 19th century, it became apparent that the income available for repairs and renovations was barely sufficient.
The following gives the financial position of Spaldens, Owfields & Peggs in 1888, the surplus in each set of almshouses was used for repairs and renovations.
Spaldens
Receipts:-
The total amount including the Dublin Rent, Dividends on Consols, Rent Charges for the Bread Charity, and for ringing the Church Bell was to £222 5 11.
Payments:-
Including a weekly Stipend to each of the 10 Almspeople of three shillings and 2 pence, and clothing of £1 per person on December 21st each year amounted to £171 19 11
Surplus on the year £40 6 0.
Owfields
Receipts:-
The total amount including the Parwich Rent, dividends on Consols, and rent on the garden was £88 9 11,
Payments:-
Including a weekly Stipend to each of the 8 Almspeople of three shillings, on Good Friday three shillings, on the 24th June ten shillings, and ten shillings each per year in garden rent amounting to £74 13 1.
Surplus on the year:- £13 16 10.
Peggs
Receipts:-
The total amount including three-fifths of the Brailsford rent, the Mercaston rent, and the garden rent was £152 0 0
Payments:-
Including a weekly Stipend to each of the 6 Almspeople of nine shillings a week, seven shillings garden rent to each almshouse each year, and every second year on December 21st £1 for clothing for the almspeople.
In today’s value amount available:-
Spaldens £621 per house
Owfields £211 per house
Peggs Deficit of £2,735 equal to a deficit of £303 per house
The amount available for repairs on Spaldens and Owfields was such that great care had to be taken on what maintenance and repairs could be done.
With respect to Peggs the situation was that there was a large deficit for repairs and maintenance.
In 1897 the deficiency of Pegg’s Almshouses was highlighted by an Assistant Governor who paid off the deficiency in Pegg’s Almshouse Account amounting to about £96 so that the Almspeople might receive their usual stipend,
The amounts available became even more sparse following inflationary pressures after the First World War.
Repairs were only carried out when absolutely necessary, and sometimes almshouses were left empty waiting for the necessary repairs to be carried out.
In June 1956 stipends for the almspeople were discontinued so that all the monies could be concentrated on the maintenance of the almshouse properties, so that these could remain as occupational dwellings for as long as possible.
(stipends were about 5/- equivalent to about £6 in today’s terms)
Although some small renovation work was carried out in the 1960’s, using local authority grants, there followed a period of 23 years during which the Old Trust agonised on whether to impose a weekly maintenance charge on the almshouses, which was opposed by some trustees.
However, in the 1970’s the lack of funds for repairs became a major concern, Spaldens, Owfields, Peggs and Clergy Widows were all very old and because of their age and lack of amenities, it was becoming apparent that they were not as easy to let as in the past.
In 1979 after much deliberation and on the advice of the Almshouse Association the Old Trust started to charge a weekly maintenance contribution to be paid by residents to help towards repairs which were becoming increasingly necessary, £3 for Spaldens, £2.50 for Owfields, which in todays terms were about £14 and £11.50 respectively.
It was the advent of the Housing Corporation that finally enabled the Old Trust to have the opportunity to renovate and modernise the almshouses.
The Old Trust’s application for registration as a Housing Association was put before the January 1982 meeting of the Housing Corporation which was successful. This enabled applications for grants and loans to be made, initially with Spaldens in 1985, followed by Owfields in 1986.
Housing Association Grants:-
1985 Spaldens £192,310
1986 Owfields £78,607
1992 John Coopers £89,756
1996 Clergy Widows £207,028
Total £567,701
All the almshouses are now fully modernised and repairs and renovations are carried out when required.