Go-ahead for Housing Transfer Ballot

Highland Councillors unanimously have given the go ahead to apply to Scottish Ministers for the ok to ballot tenants over housing transfer to the Highland Housing Association.

Tenants will soon receive details of the transfer proposal - called a Stage 1 Notice - which sets out the likely consequences of transfer and retention by the Council and invites tenants to comment to the Council within 28 days.

They will then receive a follow up communication just before they are asked to vote on the proposed transfer via a secret postal ballot, independently run by Electoral Reform Services. The ballot is expected to begin in late October with the result being known around mid November.

The housing transfer process will involve transferring the existing council housing stock of 14,500 houses to Highland Housing Association.

The Council is proposing the transfer because its existing housing debt will be written off by the UK Government and the new housing association will operate with a much lower debt and can therefore invest more in housing services and improvements.

By joining the housing transfer programme, an extra £50 million is also being invested in the Highlands over five years, providing an additional 1,000 houses for rent or low cost ownership.  This funding will stop if tenants vote against transfer.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Housing and Social Work Committee, fully endorsed the transfer.

She said: “This is a great deal for tenants; a great deal for the Council and a great deal for the Highlands.”

Councillors were advised at today’s council meeting in Inverness that research carried out by independent advisers has indicated that average council house rents in the Highlands will rise to £83.14 a week  in 8 years if the proposed transfer of housing does not take place.  By contrast, if transfer goes ahead, Highland Housing Association is committed to an average rent of £68.61 a week in 8 years.

This would mean that average rents would be £14.53 (21.18%) a week more with the Council than with Highland Housing Association after 8 years.

By 2014/15 this would mean tenants paying almost £700 a year more if housing stays with the Council.