COUNCIL tenants will meet today to discuss the future of their homes.

The conference will be held at the Red Lion in Chester-le-Street, from 9am to 3pm.

Chester-le-Street District Council has to decide by July on the best long-term options for the management of its housing stock.

Options include the council remaining as landlord or the housing service and stock being managed through other arrangements.

Housing and community safety portfolio holder, Councillor Isabel Smith, said: "The tenant conference is the culmination of the largest public consultation exercise that the council has ever undertaken with its tenants.

"The conference will enable us to bring all this information together to help tenants express what their preferences are for the future of the housing service."

Ian Broughton, director of community services, said: "The final decision on what happens to the housing stock rests ultimately with the council. However, the tenants have a key part to play in the decision making process."

More than 800 tenants responded to the council's questionnaire.