COUNCIL tenants in Blackburn and Darwen will be asked to vote on whether they want their homes to remain town hall-run.

Housing chiefs look set to hold a poll to give residents the chance to choose between retaining the council as landlord or opting for their homes to be run by a housing company.

If a housing company is set up, tenants would have a third of the seats on the board and an extra £5 million per year will be made available by the government for the repair of homes.

Blackburn with Darwen Council had an application for the transfer of homes to a housing company turned down by the government earlier in the year.

Now, housing chiefs are working closely with the government's North West office in Manchester to prepare the way for another transfer bid - should tenants vote for a change of landlord.

Coun Mohammed Khan, Labour chairman of the housing and community services committee said: "We have carefully considered both the options open to us, keeping the landlord role or transferring the stock to a housing company.

"We believe that the best solution to housing issues is to let the tenants have all of the facts and make up their minds as to which option they prefer. "If they were to vote in the ballot that we now hope will take place for a transfer of the overall management of homes to a housing company, an extra £5million a year would be available for repairs and improvements to homes.

"This will obviously make a major difference to our tenants' lives and to the quality of the environment in which they live."

Coun Dave Hollings, the deputy chairman of housing, warned that if a transfer did not go ahead rent rises and reduced levels of service would result.

The council has until December to draw up a bid for transfer and if that is successful a poll would take place in the year 2000.

The plan recommended by the Labour group includes proposals to transfer the council's entire stock including the Roman Road estate.

Only the tower blocks at Mill Hill, Queen's Park and Larkhill, where separate redevelopment schemes are being pursued.

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