Anti-transfer group Defend Council Housing claims the changes mean Wakefield could now meet the decent homes standard without transferring.
Wakefield's director of housing, Kevin Dodd, said the changes did not affect the need to transfer. "The headlines imply we would get more money," he said. "But that doesn't take into account extra money the government is taking away. We still can't meet decent homes without transfer.
"We knew doing a transfer would be like running a marathon, but nobody told us it'd be like running a marathon in flip-flops, uphill, with weights on our backs."
It would cost Wakefield £236m to meet the decent homes target by 2010. It is currently £120m short.
We still can’t meet decent homes without transfer. We knew doing a transfer would be like running a marathon
Kevin Dodd, Wakefield council
Dodd said the transfer association would go further than that and invest a total of £700m over the next 10 years.
The council issued its offer document to tenants this week. If tenants vote in favour at an early spring ballot, the transfer will be the largest to take place since Sunderland's in March 2001.
Stock would be transferred to a single registered social landlord, created for the transfer.
Mark Weeks, spokesman for Defend Council Housing, said he was confident the group's campaign to get tenants to reject the transfer would be successful: "We have a very active campaign in Wakefield.
Source
Housing Today
No comments yet