The Future of Council Homes
Formal Consultation on Housing Transfer
Over the coming months, Stockton Council is to ballot all its housing tenants on whether it should transfer its housing stock to a new-style Tristar Homes.
Tristar currently manages and maintains the homes on the Council's behalf. Under the proposals, Tristar would become a not-for-profit Housing Association run by a Board of Directors made up of equal numbers of tenants, Council and independent members. It would also aim for charitable status and would take on ownership of the houses and become the new landlord.
As a Housing Association Tristar would be able to access funding from sources not open to the Council, the move would open the way for a £600 million modernisation of homes and services over the next 30 years - £140 million of it in the first five years.
At the beginning of March copies of the Formal Consultation Offer Document were delivered to every tenant in the Borough. The formal consultation document gives tenants balanced information on the transfer process and what it would involve, and makes it clear what it would mean either transferring to become a tenant of the new-style Tristar - a 'yes' vote - or voting 'no' and staying with the Council.
Tenants are urged to read the document and give their views using the pre-paid reply, by freephone or email. The deadline for views to be recieved by the Council is Tuesday 6th April 2010.
The multi-million pound investment would include all homes
having double glazed doors and windows, along with modern kitchens and
bathrooms where they are needed. It would also include introducing better
ways of dealing with repairs, out-of-hours appointments, anti social
behaviour. A new handy person service for older tenants is also
proposed.
The Council has worked closely with tenants over the last 18 months to
consider how best to manage its homes and invest in them for the future.
A copy of the Formal Consultation Offer Document can be downloaded from the
link at the bottom of this page.
Why transfer?
An independent survey has shown that, over the next 30 years, the Council's
homes need around £600million of repairs and improvements to bring them up
to and then maintain at a modern standard.
Under current Government rules we are not able to borrow the money
needed to bring homes up to the standard you have told us are
important to you, via recent surveys. Also, almost a third of every
tenant's weekly rent has to be passed to central Government to subsidise
housing in other parts of the country.
A new-style Tristar Homes, operating as a housing association, would be
able to keep every penny of your rent which would be invested back in to
homes and the housing service and would be able to borrow the money needed
to improve homes and estates and keep rents affordable. This would
unlock funds for improvement which are not available to the Council.
Keeping you informed
The Council wants to make sure that every tenant is fully
consulted on transfer and by law has a duty to consult with tenants on any
proposed changes to their housing service and keep everyone up-to-date at
every stage of the transfer consultation process.
The Council will make sure that every tenant has received all the
information they need to make an informed decision in the ballot later this
year.
Check the facts
All the information we publish has to undergo a rigorous set of checks by
the Government, specialist lawyers and your Independent Tenants'
Adviser. The Tenant Services Authority (the Government agency
responsible for registration and regulation of housing associations) checks
all information relating to compliance with its registration and regulatory
requirements. Literature from other groups and individuals does not
have to undergo any such checks.
If you have any queries on stock transfer please contact us
on freephone line on 0800 432 0891
or you can ring Engage Associates, your Independent
Tenants' Advisor, on 01845 537145.
Additional Resources
Formal Consultation Offer Document
Formal Consultation Offer DocumentTenant and Leaseholder Questionnaire Results
Your Home Your Say Newsletters
- (90) Your Home Your Say Neswsletter Jan 10 Insert in Adobe PDF format 105 KB
- (91) Your Home Your Say Newsletter Jan 10 in Adobe PDF format 281 KB
- (92) Your Home Your Say Newsletter Dec 09 in Adobe PDF format 481 KB
- (93) Your Home, Your Say Newsletter Sept 09 in Adobe PDF format 314 KB
- (94) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 6 in Adobe PDF format 147 KB
- (95) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 5 in Adobe PDF format 83 KB
- (96) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 4 in Adobe PDF format 113 KB
- (97) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 3 in Adobe PDF format 68 KB
- (98) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 2 in Adobe PDF format 96 KB
- (99) Your Homes Your Say Newsletter Issue 1 in Adobe PDF format 65 KB
If you have problems accessing the Adobe PDF downloads then click here for help
The Future of Council Homes
Contact Us
Contact: Housing Futures Team
16 Church Road,
Stockton-on-Tees
TS18 1TX
Tel: 0800 4320891
Fax: 01642 528483
Email:
housing.futures
@stockton.gov.uk
Web Links
Stockton Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.
