Tenants Homes Vote

At Ashmore Park Residents Association last night tenants and residents were informed of the arrangements that Wolverhampton City Council had put into place to explain the changes it was considering for its own Council housing.

In the next ten years £187million needs to be spent on catch-up repairs alone. A further £123million is needed to bring other council homes up to modern standards. These are mega bills for the future and the City Council is already facing a shortfall of some £78million in its housing revenue.

Councillor Phil Bateman who attended last night meeting said “The meeting had an excellent presentation from a consultant that has been employed to assist tenants to come to grips with these problems.

There was a lot of concern in the room from Council house tenants, many view the thought of having their landlord changed from the Council to some other body with a great deal of trepidation if not fear.

I thought that the tenants own consultant gave a very good presentation of the options open to tenants. The good news is that Ashmore Park Residents Association agreed to have another meeting on the subject. I would urge all tenants to attend if they can. The importance of understanding what may happen to your home is crucial.”

There are currently 5 options open to Council Tenants, these are;
Stay with the Council
Arms length management organisation
Private Finance Initiative
Stock Transfer to Local Housing Association
Community Gateway Arrangement

Check these options out visit the web site of the consultant on www.dwa-housingconsultants.co.uk

Phil adds “ What is certain is that tenants need to fully understand what they are expected to do, what is right for them and their family’s before they are asked to vote on the future of their homes and landlord.”