Sedgefield tenants vote no to transfer

21 Jul 05
Council tenants in Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency have voted against transferring their homes to a registered social landlord.

22 July 2005

Council tenants in Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency have voted against transferring their homes to a registered social landlord.

Sedgefield Borough Council had proposed transferring its 9,000 homes to the new RSL, Sedgefield Housing, to raise almost £130m for improvements.

The landlord would have been a subsidiary of Sunderland Housing Group, which was set up three years ago following a transfer in Sunderland.

However, only 42% of tenants supported the proposal, while 58% voted against. The turnout was 73%.

Council leader Bob Fleming described the result as a vote of confidence in its housing service and said it would look at other ways to raise money. 'We respect the choice that tenants have made,' he added.

But Defend Council Housing, which campaigned against the transfer, said the result showed that the 'privatisation' of council housing was deeply unpopular among tenants.

The borough of Sedgefield includes two parliamentary constituencies, including the prime minister's seat of the same name.

PFjul2005

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