THE Welsh Government is being urged to defer a vote on the transfer of Caerphilly’s 10,980 council houses until next year, after an “unprecedented”

retention scenario was proposed by the local authority.

Tenants were set to vote on a transfer to proposed social landlord Castell Mynydd next month, but the independent tenants adviser (ITA) – which is overseeing process – said it will not now be able to make an informed decision.

This is because Caerphilly council announced earlier this week it is able to meet the required Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2019 and pump the same amount of money as Castell Mynydd into the 10,980 properties over the next 30 years.

However, this contradicts an offer document sent to all tenants outlining the need for the transfer, which says that the local authority will not be able to match the £173 million outlay of Castell Mynydd by 2017 in meeting the WHQS.

Doctor Steve Sharples of Bolton-based ITA PS Consulting called this move by Caerphilly council “unprecedented”.

He said: “Since 1990, we’ve overseen 50 UK local authority transfers and in around 250 altogether, I know of no precedent for a council to issue this kind of information after the stage one process has begun.”

Dr Sharples said a local authority should compare what they and the proposed social landlord can provide in the offer document.

This 85-page document has been written by Caerphilly council and revised over six months and is now in the hands of tenants as they prepare to vote.

Dr Sharples added: “They have sent out the offer document, in which there is no mention of a retention scenario.

“The document says it would be impossible for the local authority to meet the WHQS in a timescale agreeable to the Welsh Government.

But, now they are proposing to write to tenants and say this is not the case.”

Dr Sharples said the only place for such information is in the offer document and despite the months it will take to rewrite it, it must be rewritten.

Caerphilly council’s retention plan must be rubberstamped by the Welsh Government and Dr Sharples has urged it to insist the offer document is rewritten and the formal consultation process starts again.

‘Five years to fix leaky ceiling’- Risca resident

TENANT Olive English, 76, and her husband David, 82, said a ceiling that leaked when they moved in to St Mary’s Court in Risca five years ago has only just been fixed.

Storage heaters were replaced by gas central heating earlier this year, and new windows and doors were introduced too.

But little else has been done since the complex was built 40 years ago say tenants, who were promised transferring would mean more updates like new kitchens and bathrooms.

Owner Caerphilly council told them it did not have the money to meet WHQS in time and they are mystified by the turn around, they said.

“If they didn’t have the money yesterday where have they got it from today, and if they have got the money why haven’t things like this been done sooner?,”

Mrs English said.

Graham Weeks, 80, and wife Jean moved into St Mary’s Court eight years ago and said the condition of the building has been in decline for a long time.

Now they and other residents, including Marjorie Sullivan, 74, and Bryan Griffiths, 71, worry repairs could take even longer if the council keeps the site and others like it on.

“They wouldn’t live in conditions like this, that’s what winds me up,” Mrs English said. Every correspondence we have had with them they said please vote for it – why the u-turn?”