Tenants in Wakefield have voted three to one in favour of England's second-largest stock transfer.
The result will be a boost to the government's stock options policy after last month's no vote to transfer in Wrexham, and Camden tenants' rejection of an arm's-length management organisation (HT 16 January, page 7).

Of the west Yorkshire district's 39,282 eligible tenants, 65% voted and 74% backed the transfer plan. Kevin Dodd, housing director at Wakefield council, said: "It's a very emphatic result from an excellent turnout of voters, and we had a clear and decisive result in all five of our housing districts.

"Now the hard work starts to ensure that over the next 12 months we can make the transition as seamlessly as possible and deliver the services our tenants want and deserve."

The council's 34,500 homes will be transferred to new registered social landlord Wakefield and District Housing early next year in what will be England's second-biggest transfer, behind Sunderland council's 36,000-home transfer in March 2001.

Wakefield and District will invest £700m in the stock over the next 10 years.

An ODPM spokeswoman stressed that the result was the fifth vote for transfer in the past five weeks, following Manchester Woodhouse Park Estate, Wirral council, Trafford council and Manchester Footballers Estate.

She said: "The [national transfer] programme is continuing very positively, and bringing benefits to tenants that want it."

It’s an emphatic result from an excellent turnout. Now the hard work starts

Kevin Dodd, Wakefield council

Anti-transfer group Defend Council Housing ran a campaign against Wakefield's transfer, and national coordinator Mark Weeks claimed the council had tricked its way to the "yes".

"Wakefield brought the ballot forward three weeks earlier than they had said, so we couldn't get our campaign started," he said.

"This isn't to do with tenant choice; it's to do with the council getting its own way, however it can.

"It doesn't change the fact that whenever we've had a sizeable campaign, whenever we get our arguments to the tenants, we win. The ODPM can read this however it likes."

But a Wakefield council spokeswoman denied that the ballot had been brought forward, saying no date for the ballot had ever been publicly stated.

Source

Housing Today