Bracknell

Bracknell Tenants will be offered a package of £61 million improvement works to their homes in the proposal to transfer ownership and management of the borough's homes to a new, local housing association.

The Bracknell Council will be asked to agree on January 17 an "offer document" to be sent out to all its tenants as part of its formal consultation about the proposal.

The legally binding document sets out the details of what would happen if tenants voted in favour of their homes transferring to the new housing association, Bracknell Forest Homes.

This includes the programme of improvements the new housing association would undertake in the first five years, raising all 5,800 homes to the Bracknell Forest Standard (the standard tenants say they want to see).

If the transfer doesn’t go ahead, the Council could spend only £18 million on tenants’ homes and could not meet even the basic Decent Homes Standard set by the Government.

Improvements planned by Bracknell Forest Homes in the first five years include:

* installing around 3,500 new bathrooms (the Council could only carry out repairs to existing bathrooms);
* fitting around 3,300 new kitchens (the Council could only fit 300 new kitchens);
* upgrading, or installing new central heating in 3,600 homes (the Council could carry out this work in only 1,250 homes);
* disabled adaptations - £400,000 would be spent each year to catch up on the Council's backlog.

As well as these improvement works, Bracknell Forest Homes would be able to provide a better housing service to tenants. This would include a new uniformed Neighbourhood Estate Action Team (NEAT), to help maintain clean and safe estates and a specialist anti-social behaviour officer.

The offer document will be sent to every Bracknell tenant in early February and they will have 28 days to give their comments to the Council. The Council will consider all comments and then write to tenants explaining any changes that result, before the ballot starts in March.

Cllr Dale Birch, Executive Member for Bracknell Adult Services, Health Commissioning and Housing, said: “We have developed the offer with considerable input from tenants and staff.

"It offers long term certainty that the housing will be maintained at a high standard and that tenants continue to receive a high quality housing management service.

“I hope that tenants will read the offer document carefully so they can see the huge benefits arising fro

Bracknell Forest Borough Council