Tenant consultation set to begin over the future of council housing in South Tyneside

South Tyneside Council will launch a consultation about the future of council housing in the borough next week.

The local authority will ask around 18,000 council tenants and leaseholders to take part in an independent ballot.

It follows a "minded" decision from South Tyneside Council's Cabinet to bring the delivery of housing services back-in-house.

Councillor Jim Foreman, the Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, has highlighted that the views from tenants will help to shape housing services in the future.

He said: “Tenants are at the very heart of this so it’s vital that we bring them on this journey with us.

“Since it was established in 2006, South Tyneside Homes has brought thousands of properties up to the Decent Homes standard and beyond, improving conditions and enhancing residents’ quality of life.

“We know from ward visits and walkabouts that residents continue to really value the work being done in their homes and communities.

"However, tenant satisfaction is mixed and it’s important that as a responsible landlord we listen to and act upon their views.

“Housing is about far more than bricks and mortar, it’s a gateway to many other services and it’s crucial that we adopt a whole-system approach to provide more effective prevention, intervention and support for residents.

“The review gave us the opportunity to evaluate our housing services and identify improvements that will make a difference to tenants and we want their input to shape the best possible services going forward.

“Bringing council housing back in-house would give us the opportunity to ensure services are joined up and streamlined, helping us deliver our vision of building strong communities where people are healthy and well.”

Brining housing services back under Council control must be subject to a formal consultation.

This is get underway on Tuesday, January 30, and will run until Thursday, March 7.

The consultation will see all tenants and leaseholders receiving a ballot pack through the post in the coming days.

South Tyneside Council has stated that this will contain a letter, information about the proposals and a ballot paper.

It can either be completed and returned by post or people can give their views via an online survey.

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Once the consultation comes to an end, the findings will be presented at a future Cabinet meeting, where members will be asked to make a final decision.

If it is agreed to bring housing services back under direct Council control, work will then start to implement the changes needed.

Cllr Richard Porthouse, Chair of South Tyneside Homes’ Board, has moved to reassure residents that the Council and the housing provider will continue to work closely and collaboratively.

He commented: “We remain fully committed to the delivery of excellent housing services for our customers, and we will continue to support them throughout this process.”