Ballot Go Ahead Recommended

Plans which could release millions of pounds of housing investment could get the go ahead in Salford. After extensive consultation with tenants, Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart will consider the recommendation to hold a ballot. Tenants will be able to decide whether to transfer the ownership of 8,500 homes from the council to Salix Homes which will see £75 million pounds invested in homes and communities in the next five years. The offer document, setting out details of the proposal, was delivered to tenants at the start of August, giving them a month to reply with any comments on the document. Read more on the Salford City website.

Thousands Could Lose Homes If Salix Transfer Goes Ahead

Salford Council and Salix have been spending tens of thousands of pounds on propaganda urging tenants to vote `Yes' in a ballot, which would see 8,800 properties transferred from Council ownership to an independent company.  Neither the Salix propaganda leaflets, nor the Offer Document, make any mention of a few paragraphs contained on page 32 of the 76 page official Business Case, not so easily available to tenants. Under the title of the Strategic Case for the transfer, the document quite clearly states that "Salix Homes would have greater freedom, for example, in the range and types of tenancies provided and locations/lettings policy." It adds that there will be the "development of a new tenancy policy" which will "work to change the view that social housing is a home for life towards being a resource for a particular time". Read more on the Salford Star website.