South Wales Evening Post - 2 October 2006
City leaders have postponed a crucial vote on the future of council housing in Swansea.
Council tenants have been demanding more information about the proposals to transfer control of 14,000 council houses to another landlord.
Tenants are worried that if their homes are transferred to the not-for-profit housing mutual known as Tawe Housing they will face reduced rights and higher rents.
Now council leaders have agreed to get further assurances from the Assembly over the issues.
Cabinet Member for Housing Graham Thomas said: "These are very important issues for our tenants and we want them to have all the information they require."
The transfer has been proposed as a way of raising hundreds of millions of pounds to carry out repairs and improvements to the city's social housing stocks. Every council tenant in the city will be given a vote on whether to transfer to Tawe Housing.
Campaigners against stock transfer have called for the vote to take place as soon as possible.
Paul Lynch, of Defend Council Housing, said: "I am confident that we would win a vote."
