Tenants Back Council for Housing Future

10.35.27pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 24th Apr 2005

Milton Keynes' Liberal Democrat Council is delighted to announce that council housing tenants have voted overwhelmingly in favour of staying with the Council as their landlord.

The votes cast showed that an impressive 70% of tenants did not want to be moved into an Arms-Length Management Organisation (ALMO) or Housing Association, but wanted to remain under the democratic accountability and security of Milton Keynes Council.

Councillor Irene Henderson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Housing, Social Care and Health said: "We have provided tenants and their representatives with unbiased information throughout this process so that they could come to an informed decision on where their best interests for the future lay. The tenants have now spoken and the Liberal Democrat Council will continue to listen and work with tenants to maintain their homes to the highest possible standard within the resources available."

The vote had been forced on tenants by the Government, and has wasted over £250,000 which would otherwise have been spent on improving homes. The Government tried to influence the decision by promising more money for improvements under ALMOs and housing associations than they were offering to the Council to carry out the same tasks.

Now that the distraction of the ballot is over, the Liberal Democrat Council will be free to concentrate on improving the service provided to council tenants in Milton Keynes. Councillor Henderson added, "Our vision for homes in MK has always been clear: affordable homes for all who need them and well-maintained homes in clean, safe neighbourhoods. Now that the tenants have spoken, I welcome the opportunity to get on with the job of making this vision a reality."