TEESDALE District Council tenants are to be balloted on whether their homes should be transferred to a housing association.

An earlier consultation exercise is now complete.

The district council wants to transfer its stock of 900 homes to a newly-created Teesdale Housing Association. It would be established with Endeavour Housing Association, allowing access to funds unavailable to the local authority which could be used to bring the houses in line with the Government's National Homes Standard.

Documents detailing the scheme and seeking comments were sent to all tenants. Of the 13 returned, 11 were in favour of the transfer, one was against and one remained undecided.

Planning policy officer, Danny Micalowicz, said the low level of response was no cause for concern. So much quality information had been sent out that tenants were quite happy with the process.

Council staff had also spoken to 746 households about the project, with 89.9pc of those in favour.

For the transfer to go ahead, the authority must demonstrate to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that a majority of tenants want the change. On Tuesday, the full council agreed to ballot its tenants.

The chairman, Coun Madeleine Walton, paid tribute to members of the Tenants' Housing Forum, whom she said had done a lot of unseen work.

* People in Sedgefield are being urged to vote "no" on switching the council homes stock to a new housing group.

Council tenants have this week received ballot papers giving them the option of transferring from the borough council to a non-profit organisation.

The Northern TUC is urging tenants in the borough's 9,200 local authority homes to vote to stay within council control, saying transfers lead to higher rents but not a better service.

Sedgefield Council hopes to transfer its entire stock to Sedgefield Housing, a body formed by the council and Sunderland Housing Group.

Motorcycle crash

witnesses sought

WITNESSES are wanted following an accident which left a Darlington motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries.

Desmond Wardell, 50, of The Woodlands, was injured on Tuesday after crashing into another bike on the B1257 between Helmsley and Stokesley near Newgate Bank at about 7.45pm. He was following a second bike which braked. Mr Wardell rode into the back of it.

Mr Wardell was taken to James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough, where he was "comfortable" on Wednesday. The other rider was unhurt.

Witnesses should contact police on 0845 6060247.