It started the year as councils' great hope for meeting the decent homes standard. But as 2002 comes to an end, stock transfer has almost become a byword for trouble. It seems that, for large authorities, getting a yes vote is only the start of their problems. Glasgow has certainly had a painful eight months since receiving the mandate to transfer its 82,000 homes out of council ownership last April. It's also worth noting that the Glasgow model is similar to that proposed for Birmingham last week. The houses will be managed by around 70 community-based housing associations under the umbrella of Glasgow Housing Association. Despite setting a workable structure and rent guarantees, the process has been dogged by everything from disillusioned tenants quitting boards to threats of legal action from the anti-transfer lobby.

Many of these issues could have been anticipated, and they may prove to be little more than sideshows. The real difficulty of Glasgow transfer – as Birmingham and other metropolitan authorities will find – is down to subsidy, where the rule of thumb appears to be "calculate a figure and then double it". Unlike Birmingham, which had its finances in place, Glasgow got the yes vote and then set about trying to make it stack up – hence the delay and further controversy this week. Unlike English parliamentarians, the Scottish Executive is throwing its full weight behind this plan. It has pledged to meet the gap left by lenders by diverting £100m from new-build funds, adding to the £1.6bn worth of public money it has already committed to the scheme.

In an ideal world, the Scottish Executive could have funded both. Given its budgetary constraints, it is a brave decision. If it provides a way to create homes and communities where people really feel proud to live and work, then it's a gamble worth taking. What's absolutely vital now, though, is for Glasgow HA to keep the lid on costs and win over wavering tenants by demonstrating some progress.

For large authorities, getting a yes vote to stock transfer is only a start of their problems

Now for some festive thank-yous. It has been an exciting year for Housing Today, which we relaunched in May. We'd like to thank all our readers for their support, ideas and input for the new-look magazine. We'll be back in the New Year with more innovations, news and comment to keep you informed on all that's happening in the sector. Thanks too, for all the kind and generous support for our Christmas appeal, which has raised thousands of pounds for Refuge.

It's still not too late to donate – if you want to help, you'll find more details on page 14.