Argyll & Bute council has become the latest local authority in Scotland to plan a stock transfer.

The authority’s 6000 tenants are to vote on the proposals after the Scottish executive agreed to accept Argyll & Bute onto its stock transfer programme last Monday.

The council stands to gain an immediate £15m to fund regeneration work if the tenants back transfer in the ballot, to be held within the next 12 months.

The £15m would supplement the £10m-plus that will have to be borrowed in order to improve the council’s homes to the Scottish decency standard by 2015.

Councillor George Freeman, housing spokesperson for the council, said: “The proposal has the full support of all 36 councillors and will secure major investment in the housing stock which otherwise would not be possible.”

A shadow landlord body – Argyll Community Housing Association – has been set up.

Edinburgh, Stirling, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire are all working towards transferring their homes to specially created social landlords.

To date Glasgow, the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway are the only Scottish councils to have completed stock transfer.

Source

Housing Today