PEOPLE in Caerphilly borough have just days left to cast their vote on whether their council houses are transferred to an independent landlord.

Caerphilly council’s ballot on whether its 13,300 tenants want properties to remain in council hands or be transferred to proposed social landlord Castell Mynydd ends next week.

Tenants have until February 17 to cast their vote on the future of their homes.

The transfer to not-for-profit Castell Mynydd, will only go ahead if the majority of voters say yes.

Were council tenants to approve the move, this would spell the end of council housing in Gwent. In recent years, council homes in Newport, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen have all been transferred to social landlords.

The vote is confidential and no-one from the council or Castell Mynydd will ever know which way individual tenants voted.

Council leader Allan Pritchard said: “If tenants don’t use their ballot paper, they will not have had their say on the transfer proposal – one way or the other. We are urging tenants who haven’t returned their ballot paper not to waste their opportunity to have their say on such an important issue.”

Tenants should have received their ballot papers through the post from E l e c t o r a l R e f o r m Services and are asked to complete it and return it in the freepost envelope provided.

Details on how to vote by phone, text or via the internet are included in the information sent out.

Anyone with questions about the transfer can call the council’s information line on 0800 141 2834 or independent adviser, PS Consultants, on 0800 088 4194.

Anyone who has lost their ballot paper can call the Electoral Reform Services on 0208 889 9203.