Opinion

Time to ballot all NI housing association tenants

I rIsh News readers may be interested to know that the NIhE has confirmed that it will ballot some 2,000 tenants about the proposed transfer of their statutory tenancies to housing associations prior to a stock transfer exercise commencing.

The NIhE tenants will be allowed to accept or reject the NIhE's stock transfer proposals.

I suggest that the NIhE is to be applauded in offering tenants, many of whom have been living in statutorily unfit, sub-standard houses for far too long a ballot on the transfer of their tenancies. The NIhE following previous

precedent, will now also have to offer its whole tenant base of some 85,000 secure tenancies a ballot prior to proposed stock transfer of 2015, much to the consternation of the DsD. however, while the NIhE is to be applauded for this decision to embrace tenant democracy, Flax, Grove and Filor housing associations, having declined to give their tenants a ballot in a forthcoming merger of some 1,100 secure tenancies must be deeply embarrassed. why do these 'community based social landlords' consider their tenants in a lesser manner than the NIhE?

Furthermore, one wonders why our housing regulator allows one standard of tenant protection for NIhE tenants and a lesser standard of protection for housing association tenants.

The time has now come for all NI housing association tenants to have the statutory protection of a tenant ballot during proposed stock transfers or mergers. however, unfortunately, David Ford has confirmed that he does not believe that is the remit of the justice department.

E CookE

Newtownabbey, Co Antrim