TEESDALE District Council has backed a scheme to transfer all its housing stock to a housing association.

Tenants will have the final say in a ballot, but at a special full council meeting on Thursday of last week, members voted unanimously in favour of the transfer option.

The vote followed a presentation by Ken Payne, of the Tenant Participation Advisory Service, outlining the four options available. They were:

* Stay within existing resources and management;

* Stay as you are but set up an arm's-length management organisation;

* Stay as you are but use a private finance initiative to bring in extra investment for some estates;

* Transfer the council housing stock to a newly set up housing association.

Mr Payne, who spoke on behalf of the Teesdale Tenants' Forum, said: "The stay as you are option was quickly ruled out because the council simply does not have the resources to meet the Government's ten-year minimum standards target.

"A PFI was also ruled out because it is not a full stock answer and is not an option that will give you what the Government expects you to deliver.

"Up until a month ago, the forum thought an arm's-length organisation would be the best solution, but that has the flaw of not allowing any new building.

"The final recommendation is that Teesdale's needs would be best served by a stock transfer to a newly set up arm of an existing housing association, with support from the bigger group above it."

Conditions were attached to the recommendation: the Teesdale name and identity must remain, the housing service must be delivered locally with an office in Teesdale and there must be no job losses.

The board of the new not-for-profit organisation would be made up of five councillors, five tenants and five independents chosen by the other ten. The five independents would be business people in the area with specialist knowledge, explained Mr Payne.

He added: "The next 18 months is about getting a positive message across. The last thing you want is an apathetic reception from tenants."