City ballots tenants over transfer plan

All 80,000 tenants of Glasgow Council’s houses
have been sent ballot papers on the proposal to transfer management
of their homes to the independent Glasgow Housing Association
(GHA).

The proposal has been beset with controversy
including allegations of government bribes, with the Treasury
offering to wipe out the city’s £1bn housing debt and the
Scottish executive offering an additional £400m on condition
that the tenants vote to proceed with the transfer. The GHA’s own
financial plans were rejected by the council’s staff as
ill-advised.

Protest groups have accused the Scottish
executive and the council of engaging in a propaganda war rather
than fully informing tenants of all the implications of the
move.

Results of the ballot are expected to be
announced on 5 April.