DO the good people of Bromsgrove know that there is a move afoot to sell or transfer the entire council housing stock to private housing associations?

Now I have nothing against housing associations, but they are not in the business for their health, and rents will rise with the speed of light. Not only that, but the tenants lose their secure tenant status, and their right to buy the property they live in.

Now let's take this one stage further, and think about sheltered housing. Housing for the elderly and disabled, the place where some of your parents live. This property originally came under section one of the Housing Act, and the tenants never had the right to buy because it was kept for the elderly and disabled. Quite right too! But the goalposts have been moved, and the now the council can sell the lot. Surely they have an obligation to offer these properties to the sitting tenants first.

This problem does not appear to have an answer. However, if more than 50 per cent of the tenants, when they fill in their ballot papers say no to the sale, the sale will not happen, and the property will remain with the council.

Our council is not to blame for this. It has always provided their tenants with affordable well-maintained properties. We have an excellent council, and we should be rightly proud of them.

So who is to blame? It's the Government of course with their green paper on housing.

I would ask all you Bromsgrove councillors to look after your council tenants, and send the green paper back to the Government - it does not apply to Bromsgrove.

Mr Dennis Wheatley,

Elm Grove,

Norton,

Bromsgrove.