TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are being recommended to sell 32 newly built old people’s bungalows to a housing trust in an £1.8 million deal.
A ballot of residents of the properties has revealed that in a 76.2 per cent turnout, 96.9 per cent were in favour of their homes being transferred to Golden Gates Housing Trust (GGHT).
The bungalows are at Culcheth, Westy, Great Sankey, Whitecross, Hulme and Orford.
Last year, the borough council transferred most of its housing stock to GGHT after the majority of tenants voted in favour of the transfer.
But the bungalows had not at that time been completed.
A report by Andy Farrall, (right)director for environment and regeneration, to the council’s executive board indicates that the vale of the 32 bungalows is more than £3.5 million.
But the transfer will be conditional on GGHT continuing to use them as sheltered accommodation and they will not be available for tenants to buy.
Although the council to other providers of social housing, it is not believed any other registered provider would be in a position to pay more than £1.8 million for the bungalows.
The money will be used to repay costs incurred by the council in building the properties.
Council urged to sell homes for £1.8m
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
4 Comments
Warrington BC are putting everything into trusts – The Parr Hall and now bungalows
Warrington DO YOU TRUST LABOUR??????????
More of rthe family silver! Does WBC not realise that you can only sell it once. Also, the Capital received cannot be used as Revenue so the benefits are limited. Roll on May 2012 altho’ the alternatives fill me with horror!
I think people need to understand the context in which these properties are being sold. WBC no longer has so called “council houses”, with the agreement of tenants, all of the properties that WBC owned were transferred to Golden Gates Housing Trust, had these 32 properties been available to transfer at the time, they would have been. It makes sense that they are now (albeit at a bargain price, I hope WBC at least covered their costs), as WBC is no longer directly involved in providing and managing social housing. Regarding the very good point made by CTP about the capital receipt, hopefully it will be used to pay off debt as no doubt WBC had to borrow the money to build the properties.
As a former WBC employee who was involved in the bungalow project I can tell you that the proposal to transfer the properties to Golden Gates came from senior management long before Labour regained control of the Council. However, it could not be progressed without the tenant consultation.