Sandwell rejects transfer

The government's ability to meet its decent homes target suffered a further blow as another large metropolitan authority ruled out stock transfer.
Sandwell Council confirmed it was considering setting up an arm's-length company to run its 37,000 homes – the first authority in the west midlands to consider this option.
The authority failed in a partial transfer bid for around 4,000 homes in 1997 as part of the Estates Renewal Challenge Fund scheme.
John Sullivan, chair of the council's inquiry into the future of public sector housing, said: ‘All the consultation and feedback from tenants told us that if we tried to railroad tenants into stock transfer we would most likely not get that through.'
No votes in Birmingham and Dudley had also been influential. The council wants to set up two arm's-length companies to cover the whole stock.