Eastlands Homes chosen as new proposed landlord for East transfer

Tenant representatives and Councillors have chosen Eastlands Homes as the new proposed landlord to own and manage council homes in Rusholme, Longsight, Gorton North and South, Ardwick and Levenshulme.

Eastlands Homes is a not-for-profit landlord that owns and manages 2,700 former council homes in the Clayton, Openshaw, and Beswick areas of East Manchester. Eastlands Homes is widely recognised for its commitment to customer care and high quality services. It was inspected by the Audit Commission in February 2007 and given two stars out of a possible three with 'excellent prospects for improvement' which placed them in the top 10 housing associations in the country.

Tenant representatives were impressed that Eastlands Homes could provide substantial additional investment for environmental upgrades, on top of the improvements planned for every home. This means, for example, that every tenant could have external lights and a burglar alarm.

Manchester City Council Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services Councillor Eddy Newman said: "I want to thank the steering group for all their efforts during the decision-making process. I know the tenant representatives on the group considered the benefits to local people very carefully. So I wholeheartedly support and welcome their decision to go with Eastlands Homes as the proposed landlord."

Joan Green, the chair of the steering group adds: "I am pleased to announce our proposal to go into partnership with Eastlands Homes. It's not a decision we've taken lightly. We've weighed up all the facts and figures carefully over the last few months; and are now proposing Eastlands Homes because it will bring additional investment to the area as well as local experience, knowledge and expertise. It's a fantastic opportunity to make a brighter future."

The proposal will be ready for detailed consultation with all tenants in the New Year. The vote for or against the proposal will take place in a special month-long ballot of local tenants planned for February 2008.

Media contact:

Juliet Appleby or Dave Toomer, tel: 0161 234 3237