The degree of central government direction over council housing is such that housing played little role in local elections until last week, when the future of stock and its condition was an issue in a several areas.

For years, government regulations have left councils so little latitude that many tenants must have believed the result would be the same for them whoever won.

The main housing issue this time was stock transfer.

Dennis Minnis, who led Birmingham's ill-fated transfer project, lost his seat. In Sheffield, the Liberal Democrats, who had won a place on the stock transfer programme, were ejected by Labour, which opposed it.

In Norwich, Labour ran a campaign based on its record of stock improvements, but still lost to Liberal Democrats who indignantly denied claims that they backed transfer.

All three parties are apt to oppose transfer in opposition, but to champion the idea in power. The Labour government, like its Tory predecessor, leaves them few practical alternatives.

But this is not entirely a case of cynical opportunism. There is no reason why any one party should take the same view of stock transfer in, say, Sheffield as in Norwich.

It is a matter of local choice, as voters seemed to conclude last week.

Whatever some zealots in both housing associations and Defend Council Housing, might think, stock transfer is not an issue of principle. Providing the best possible homes is.

Sometimes, not transferring means staying with an incompetent council landlord. Elsewhere, there is no compelling reason for tenants to leave a well-run authority.

The exception, where housing played a key role, was Burnley, where the far-right British National Party won three seats.

It had attacked the local stock transfer landlord for housing 'immigrants', and played on perceptions that regeneration money goes to places where ethnic minorities predominate, a factor widely believed to have stoked last summer's northern riots.

This prompted a rethink of the competitive bidding system that has set neighbourhood against neighbourhood.

Local regeneration schemes must be designed so that all deserving areas see some improvement, to prevent some residents gaining the impression that others are being showered with cash while they lose out.