Wirral Partnership Homes celebrated its second birthday. In February 2005, Wirral Council's 13,100 homes transferred to the RSL.
Wirral Partnership Homes has delivered on the promises made to tenants, including fitting over 3,613 new windows and doors and more than 2,169 new kitchens and bathrooms.
Working closely with Wirral Borough Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team, the RSL is tackling a number of cases of anti-social behaviour to help tenants and residents live without fear in their communities. Since February 2005, 104 cases have been dealt with, 61 cases have been resolved, and 80 legal orders have been obtained.
The RSL has also set up a partnership with Wirral Metropolitan College, to encourage students to get involved in work experience placements. Its Human Resources team has set up a partnership working with local schools to give advice to students.
Other achievements include setting up a Community Grant Fund, which provides one-off grants from £100 up to £10,000 to local groups that may need financial support to help them contribute to the sustainability of their own communities.
Anti-transfer campaigners on the Parkside Estate in Tower Hamlets were threatening to take the Council to Judicial Review over the transfer of more than 2,200 homes to Old Ford Housing Association, which received the green light from government. The transfer paves the way for £50 million of investment into the homes.
Communities and Local Government approved the transfer more than 18 months after the ballot took place. The July 2005 vote saw tenants back stock transfer by a margin of just seven votes.
Brighton and Hove Council tenants rejected plans to transfer to a housing association, leaving the Council with a £100 million funding gap. On a 62% turnout, 77% of tenants voted to remain with the Council. This was despite a promise to spend £195 million on improvements in the first five years after transfer and £448 million over 30 years.
The vote follows several other recent votes against transfer, including Gravesham, Salisbury and a number of estates in Tower Hamlets.
The 120 residents of six sheltered housing schemes in Stockton voted in favour of transferring their homes from Stockton Council to Erimus Housing.