Plans for the largest stock transfer ever have suffered a major setback after it emerged that the majority of key tenant representatives want to keep the council as their landlord.
A Glasgow council report reveals that tenants feel that they are being "driven" towards stock transfer by community-based housing associations without adequate time or information to make informed decisions.

The transfer of the entire council stock, around 93,000 homes, to Glasgow Housing Association would see it assume responsibility for an estimated £1.6 billion repairs and improvements bill. The Scottish Executive will take charge of servicing the city's £900m housing debt.

However, the plans hinge on the outcome of a tenant ballot scheduled for May.

Over half of the 29 Neighbourhood Forums - consultation groups set up by the council to put residents at the heart of transfer plans - wanted the debt to remain with the government, and stock to be retained and managed by the council, said a report written by David Conley, Glasgow's director of housing services.

And a majority also said that the transfer process was moving too quickly for them.

Many residents saw community-based housing associations as "predatory".

"In many instances, they do not want to talk to them at the local level at all. They fear that they are only interested in cherry-picking the good stock and leaving the rest," the report said.

Sean Clerkin, chair of the Glasgow Campaign against Stock Transfer said the report was a clear sign that tenants would vote against transfer: "The stock transfer is dead in the water. It's as clear as daylight that the majority of tenants will vote no in the ballot."

However Conley argued that reservations were only to be expected. "The vitality of the transfer is shown by the Neighbourhood Forums who are working together, considering questions, and identifying the issues that are important to them" he said.

He added: "We have a long way to go, but ultimately the people who'll get to decide are the tenants, when they ballot on the actual proposal, with what they are being asked to vote for clearly set out."