Homes transfer will bring £105 million

TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington have finally approved the transfer of almost 9,000 council-owned dwellings to a housing trust – a move described as the most important decision the authority has made in the last five years.
Coun Bob Barr, (pictured) executive member for planning, regeneration and housing, said: “This really is one of the most important items we have dealt with – not least because it effects more than 23,000 of our residents and 8,716 homes… an asset worth a billion pounds.
“It will have an enormous impact on some of the most vulnerable people in the borough.”
Coun Barr said the transfer of the houses to Golden Gates Housing Trust (GGHT) was an enormous success story.
Warrington had had, quite frankly, an under-performing housing department.
This was transformed when it became an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) and succeeded in raising the standard of all properties to the “decent homes standard.”
But unfortunately it became apparent that if Warrington were to obtain adequate funding to improve the properties still further, a transfer of stock to a housing trust would be necessary.
A ballot of tenants resulted in a 67 per cent turn-out – far higher than for local or general elections – with a massive 97 per cent of tenants voting in favour of the transfer.
This would result in GGHT receiving £105 million to improve housing over the next five years and half a billion pounds over the next 30 years.
“There was no possibility of the council being able to raise this sort of money,” said Coun Barr.
“We are absolutely convinced that this will benefit both our present tenants and our future tenants,” he said.
Labour councillors had expressed concern about areas of open green land which would be transferred to GGHT along with the houses, but Coun Barr said the Trust had no plans to develop open land and in any event planning consent would still be required from the council.
Leader of the council Ian Marks said: “A huge amount of work has gone into this housing transfer by a lot of people. It is one of the most momentous decisions the council has taken for many years and it will bring vast benefits to a lot of people.”
The transfer will take place once Government consent has been obtained.