COUNCIL house tenants are being urged to arm themselves with the facts about proposals for the future of their homes ahead of a referendum.

Sedgefield Borough Council wants to transfer its homes to Sedgefield Housing, a non-profit making housing organisation set up by the council and Sunderland Housing Group.

The council says the move will release nearly £53m to give tenants better homes and lead to environmental improvements and action to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Council leader Bob Fleming said: "We believe transfer is the best option. We could keep the housing stock and afford to meet the decent homes standard ourselves.

"But we think our tenants want more than that.

"A housing association can get money that we cannot to do work like fit new kitchens, bathrooms, upgrade heating and erect fences much quicker than us."

But the proposal faces union-led opposition. People are worried that the move will mean privatisation and they fear that that will lead to decline in services and loss of democracy.

Pat Allen, Unison's Sedgefield branch secretary, said: "We are against any form of privatisation, it is the loss of democratic rights.

"A housing association board does not have to answer to tenants in the same way elected councillors do, so tenants don't have a say in major decisions about their homes and lives.

"Sedgefield's council houses are already a good standard so we don't need this move to meet so-called 'tenants aspirations'."

Extensive consultation is taking place and will continue throughout spring.

Staff from the council and housing association have held information roadshows, home visits and distributed thousands of newsletters about the proposals.

A council survey showed that about 40 per cent of tenants support the proposal, 17 per cent are against and many have not made up their minds.

Campaign groups, including the newly-formed Sedgefield Against Transfer, are planning public meetings.

One issue both sides agree on is the need for tenants to find out as much as they can about the debate ahead of a ballot for or against large scale voluntary transfer later this year.