Homes transfer heralds £4 million of improvements

Tenants in almost 150 homes in West Gorton are set to benefit from £4 million worth of improvements as they are transferred to a new landlord from Monday 27 September.

The 144 homes, previously owned by Manchester City Council, are being transferred to not-for-profit housing association Guinness Northern Counties.

The  go-ahead of the transfer means that work will start from Tuesday 28 September on delivering a £4 million improvement package over the next three years to completely modernise the homes, both inside and out.

It  follows a four-week ballot earlier this year in which an overwhelming 89.1 per cent of tenants voted in favour of the switch. Almost 80 per cent of tenants took part in the ballot.

Councillor Paul Andrews, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, welcomed the handover.

He  said: "A lot of hard work by officers, ward councillors and residents has  taken place since tenants voted in favour of this switch. This is great  news for tenants and I'm sure they will welcome the significant improvements which will now be delivered."  
 
Niki Stockton, Head of West Region for Guinness Northern Counties, said: "The  residents of West Gorton have shown their overwhelming support for their homes to transfer to Guinness Northern Counties and I'm pleased to say we're  ready to hit the ground running with the first phase of external door replacements starting on day one.
 
"Very  soon local people will be able to see and enjoy the results of the  multi-million pound investment programme they voted for in March. Our West Gorton team is ooking forward to continuing to work with local residents  and councillors whose support and advice has been so important in getting  us to this landmark date."

Tenants will benefit from a range of improvements. The improvement plans will ensure that every home  has a good quality kitchen, bathroom, doors, windows, wiring and heating systems and improved energy efficiency.