§ The Minister for Housing and Planning (Keith Hill)I am announcing today the names of 17 authorities in England which, on a voluntary basis and subject to the approval of their tenants, should be able to proceed with proposals to carry out 26 transfers of all or part of their stock to registered social landlords. I have today placed 19 proposals on the transfer programme whilst holding a place open for a further seven transfers. Together the programme could involve over 125,000 dwellings in large-scale voluntary transfers over two years.
Authorities on the 2003 programme have decided, with their tenants, to pursue housing stock transfer as their vehicle for reaching by 2010 the Government's decent homes target. They will have made this decision after considering the various options for reaching the target. Housing transfer enables the new landlords to obtain increased investment from private sources to reach and, invariably, exceed the decent home target for the transferred dwellings more quickly than if the properties had remained in local authority ownership. Housing transfer can also bring about higher levels of tenant involvement, ensuring housing services meet tenants' needs and preferences. It can also provide a significant boost to the wide-scale regeneration of the surrounding area. Over time, tenants' rents will be similar to what they would pay to their local authority, due to the Government's policy of bringing greater fairness and coherence to the structure of social rents.
Housing transfers are voluntary and may only take place if tenants are in favour. The consent of the First Secretary of State is also required before a transfer can proceed and that will only be granted if a majority of tenants who vote in the secret ballot do so in favour of transfer.
Proposals submitted for the 2003 programme have been of high quality. However some are not as advanced as we would wish to secure a place immediately. Therefore Lambeth (for their Clapham Park Estate transfer), North East Lincolnshire and Tower Hamlets (for their Ocean Estate, Mile End East, Crossways Estate and Leopold Estate transfers) have been asked to develop their transfer proposals further. I am also holding open a place on the programme for Hackney (for their West Haggerston and Kingsland transfer) pending the agreement of a minimum valuation with them.
As the Lambeth (Clapham Park) proposal involves dwellings located within my constituency, it was assessed independently by Yvette Cooper.
25WSThe authorities that have successfully gained places on the programme, together with the intended recipient RSL, are as follows:
a disposal by Forest Heath District Council of not more than 2,705 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Hartlepool Borough Council of not more than 7,963 dwelling houses to Housing Hartlepool;a disposal by London Borough of Barking & Dagenham of not more than 11l dwelling houses to Stort Valley Housing Association;three disposals by London Borough of Islington of not more than 1,314 dwelling-houses on the Tollington Estate to North British Homes, not more than 341 dwelling houses on the Surr Street Estate to Hyde Housing Association and not more than 121 dwelling houses on the Grove Estate to Hyde Housing Association;two disposals by London Borough of Lambeth of not more than 1,164 dwelling houses on the Stockwell Park estate to The Trust and not more than 683 dwelling houses on the Kennington Park estate to Hyde Southbank Homes;three disposals by Manchester City Council of not more than 1,013 dwelling houses on the Haughton estate to a registered social landlord, not more than 2,543 dwelling houses on the Woodhouse Park estate and not more than 1,548 dwelling-houses on the Hattersley estate to Peak Valley Housing;a disposal by Middlesbrough Council of not more than 13,209 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Peterborough County Council of not more than 10,195 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Purbeck District Council of not more than 1,622 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Royal Borough of Kingston of not more than 5,010 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Stroud District Council of not more than 5,429 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council of not more than 10,100 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council of not more than 33,405 dwelling houses to a registered social landlord;a disposal by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council of not more than 14,500 dwelling house; to a registered social landlord;