The Tenant participation Advisory Service has written to housing minister Lord Rooker asking that funding for a tenants' adviser should be released to tenants and controlled by them directly.
The group believes the move is in line with the Communities Plan on strengthening the independence of tenant representation. TPAS chief executive Phil Morgan said: "Rooker has made it clear that in certain circumstances, tenants should get funding direct."

The move follows an increasingly acrimonious row since the South Kilburn New Deal for Communities sacked TPAS in January.

TPAS believes it was removed for voicing tenants' reservations about the £28m rebuild and refurbishment project "too robustly".

South Kilburn NDC counters that TPAS did not present the issues to tenants objectively. The NDC says its decision followed a number of complaints from residents, including a 50-signature petition. But TPAS claims tenants believed the petition was about window frames.

The row appears to stem from the need to increase housing densities dramatically. The NDC has asked for more government cash to pay for an alternative to the current proposal of doubling densities.

Source

Housing Today