The Current Position

It's always been a proverb that you should learn from your mistakes, unfortunately the Government is not aware of this one and continue on its endless endeavours to be rid of affordable council housing for many people in the UK through either Large Scale Voluntary Transfer or Arms Length Companies. It seems unbelievable that despite the complaints from many supporters for keeping housing in control of local government and the debacle for those who are undertaking the program of transfer and those who have indeed transferred, the government endeavours through many different methods, to get its way.

What springs to mind and seems to be the opposite idealism are the latest ideas from the offices of John Prescott and David Blunkett, is that they want to give more power to local councils in England making them more accountable to their constituents in the areas, but still want one of the local authorities' main functions sold off.

In Scotland, we still have the government looking actively at Large Scale Voluntary Transfer this is despite the ridiculous outcome of the Glasgow transfer that still awaits the financial packages put in place to deliver the promises made. This mirrors the case in the south of the Scotland where the local authorities in and around the borders have failed to deliver promises made on property upgrades and timetables for modernisation.

In Moray we still have to be aware that a review of the housing stock will take place in 2005. It is UNISON's opinion that we will again see a serious effort by some to move the political debate to transfer. It seems that even though we have a high quality stock, low rent levels and some of the best statistics in Scotland some are still of the mind we should transfer, maybe the idea of over inflated executive wages is the appeal?

Staff in the housing department should be aware of the idealism of LSVT is to sell off a viable council commodity which will be vigorously opposed by Unison.

Dougie McPhee
October 2003

Top of page

UNISON is opposed to the wholesale selling off of large chunks of the country's council housing stock. This process is damaging to tenants, local authorities, services and trade union organisation. UNISON fully supports options that enable investment to take place without homes being sold.

Large Scale Voluntary Transfers are damaging to tenants, local authorities, services and trade union organisation. UNISON fully supports options that enable investment to take place without homes being sold.

The Issues

• Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVT)

• Workers' rights

• The twin track approach

• Right To Buy

The selling off of large amounts of council housing stock adversely affects not just tenants but local authority workers too.

Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVT)

Workers' rights

The twin track approach

Right To Buy